


This is the only way we can be

by Janister_Dilimar



Series: Sweet Lies [1]
Category: EXO (Band), NCT (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), SM Town
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kokobop (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - Lotto (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - Lucky One (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - MAMA (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - Monster (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - Overdose (EXO Music Video), Alternate Universe - Pathcode Teasers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, EXOverse, F/M, Female Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Female Kim Jaejoong, Female Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Female Lee Taeyong, Fluff and Angst, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Mafia NCT, Other, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-20 10:37:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 40
Words: 144,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22016083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janister_Dilimar/pseuds/Janister_Dilimar
Summary: They were fed, clothed, sheltered and pampered. They went to school, met people, made friends and played with other children. They were as happy as kids could be and they have almost everything that they needed. They relied on each other; they grew up with each other. They needed nobody else as long as all twelve of them are together.They wanted to be like everybody else. They wanted to be treated like they weren't different, they wanted to be treated like actual human beings. They never wanted to be looked at and treated as Monsters.They wanted to be ordinary.Except, they weren’t normal, were they?"Will we ever be happy, hyung?""Given the circumstance, I don't think we ever will."BOOK ONE of "Sweet Lies"
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Byun Baekhyun/Everyone, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Everyone, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol, Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Everyone, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Everyone, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Kim Jongin | Kai/Everyone, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Everyone, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Everyone, Lu Han/Everyone, Oh Sehun/Everyone, Park Chanyeol/Everyone, Wu Yi Fan | Kris/Everyone, Zhang Yi Xing | Lay/Everyone
Series: Sweet Lies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584685
Comments: 21
Kudos: 75





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> This is a story based on EXO's universe. I have nothing against the idols and this is purely fictional.
> 
> This is the first Book of the series: Sweet Lies.
> 
> Hope you like the story!

They had always been twelve. No more. No less. Always had been, always will be.

They were raised away from their parents. Jaeyoung – Jae-eumma – their caretaker, made sure to explain that properly so that they wouldn’t ask about it in the future. Jaeyoung is very kind; all twelve of them loved her dearly and took care of her when she was sick. She loved them all equally and fairly and all twelve of them knew that if she were asked to pick one of them, she would rather kill herself than to pick just one and not all. That’s how they all mattered to her. She often tells them stories about another planet. She said that it got destroyed because the Tree of life that powers it was burned down. Jaeyoung also said that thee tree was something similar to the one in the very middle of the lake in their backyard. She made them promise to look after the tree when she’s too old to even stand up on her own. The twelve of them made an oath to themselves to care for the tree until they die.

They live in a fairly large house but it’s nothing extravagant like the mansions they see on the internet or on the television. They always have food and water and Jaeyoung always treats them out for clothes and the like. Since two out of twelve are girls, Jaeyoung treats them out the most because the boys tend to like other things compared to the two girls.

Minseok helps around a lot. Since he’s the oldest, he carries most of the weight of the chores when Jaeyoung isn’t around. He’s really quiet and serious but he takes care of the younger ones well and he doesn’t argue with them. The sharp-eyed boy moves around the house like a cat; he never makes a sound even when he’s cleaning. At school, students tend to distance themselves from him since he gives off this unusually cold aura that they don’t understand. He likes peace and quiet anyway, so he doesn’t really mind. He’s the one to make sure that the others are there when they go to school so he often walks at the back of the row to count them. When someone is missing, he will be the one to go back to the house to collect them.

Lu Han is next to Minseok in terms of age. It’s still a mystery to everyone why the oldest two of the twelve looks years younger than the maknaes. Lu Han gives off this good older brother aura that made him popular among kids at school. He helps around the house a lot, too, and he’s always tasked to sit next to Jaeyoung when she’s sick – even if the latter practically begs Lu Han to take a rest while she’s lying in bed. Because of his training as an athlete at school, he does most of the heavy lifting at the house while Minseok does the lesser chores – everything seemed light around him. One time, the others made him carry a bunch of boxes and he carried them with ease, not even pulling a muscle.

Yifan is a big, Chinese dork and he’s useless – he basically does nothing inside the house. He’s lazy but he’s smart – It still marvels the others where he got his knowledge and intelligence from when he practically can’t lift a book up. He’s their bodyguard – the others joke that it’s the only thing he’s used for – but despite his cold appearances and his sharp gaze, he’s actually a big baby. His jokes are lame and his humor is unfathomable but the others sometimes laugh because they didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Yifan likes to station himself at the roof where he could feel the breeze. The others think it’s normal since they, too, liked to feel the cool air rushing past them. Jaeyoung always found him at the rooftop when he disappears from his bed at night.

Junmyeon is like their mother. If the older three acts like their brothers, Junmyeon takes the cake for being the mother of the twelve. In all reality, Jaeyoung is the real mother between them but even she was convinced Junmyeon is the mom. Junmyeon prepares food with Jaeyoung, she cleans the house with Minseok and Lu Han, she watches over the others when they play, she warns them when they do something stupid at school, she tucks them into their beds when it’s time to sleep, she scolds them when they come home later than usual, she tells them to take a bath before going to bed. It’s because she does all those things and many more that make the others love and need her the most next to Jaeyoung. The only thing they couldn’t stand is her jokes. Like Yifan, her jokes are lame and oftentimes, only the two of them understand each other. Even at school, they find it unfathomable but she’s still the president of every class she’s been to so they let it pass. Junmyeon is the type of person that leaves the pool or the beach last – Minseok almost had a heart attack when they were out of a school trip and Junmyeon stayed underwater for almost five minutes without moving. She spends her time mostly in the water when they go on vacation and she takes the cake for being the longest who takes a bath.

Yixing is next. He’s the most behaved among the twelve. If Minseok is quiet, it’s like someone zipped Yixing’s mouth shut. He rarely talks, he rarely does things that exerted effort, he rarely gets up from the chair he’s sitting in when they go play. He just likes to watch. But, one positive side about him is that he’s always smiling. He rarely opens his mouth, yes, but he always has a small smile plastered on his face. He’s always ready to help and he warns the others when they run too fast or lightly scolds them when they trip. When someone is injured, he’s there immediately and tends to the wound. He has dressed enough wounds to become a doctor. Maybe that’s why he wants to become one when he’s older. Jaeyoung is proud of him for wanting to help people even at that young age.

Baekhyun is a loudmouth; he’s the mood maker and he’s _loud_. He rarely gets upset and oftentimes, when people come to visit the house, the first thing they hear is Baekhyun’s voice because he immediately lets them feel welcome. Of course, when it’s a stranger, he goes and gets Jaeyoung before speaking but when it’s Jaeyoung’s friends, he jumps immediately and asks them to play. At school, he is loved by everyone and everyone wants to be his friend. He gives off a light and bright aura when they’re near to him and they will eventually feel happy when he’s near even if they’re in a bad mood.

Jongdae is a walking speaker; his voice is amplified to the point of people’s ears hurting. His high pitched voice takes the cherry for being the loudest in the house. He could easily par with Baekhyun for being loud and for being the first voice you hear when entering the house. The only difference between Jongdae and Baekhyun is that the former is shy and quiet around strangers. He rarely goes out of the perimeter of the house, unless it’s for school or when Jaeyoung asks him to buy things at the store with Junmyeon – it always ends up a disaster but Jaeyoung still sends them out together anyway. He and Junmyeon never go together. They’re polar opposites and whenever they have skin contact, a light current shocks Junmyeon – one time, Junmyeon cried. It doesn’t happen to anyone else except Minseok and Junmeyon but they’re still friends.

Chanyeol takes the cake for being the most annoying in the house. If he, Baekhyun and Jongdae were a cake, Chanyeol would be the cherry to complete it. He’s like a virus that’s spreading happiness and joy to anyone around him. Whenever he’s around, you can never be gloomy. Like Baekhyun, Chanyeol rarely gets upset and when he is, the whole room feels it. Like Jongdae, he never goes well with Junmyeon and Minseok, too. They are also polar opposites and when Minseok and Chanyeol are alone in a room, Minseok always feel the heat radiating from the younger and often leaves. Everyone feels the heat from Chanyeol and even at school, everyone feels it. When it’s winter, their favorite cuddle buddy is Chanyeol while in the summer, it’s Minseok.

Kyungsoo is the most serious one among them. Despite being one of the youngest, she’s always quiet, she cooks with Junmyeon and Jaeyoung, she cleans the house like Minseok, she always stays in the corner like Yixing and she rarely interacts with other people around her. Since only she and Junmeyon are the only girls in the house aside from Jaeyoung, they often keep to themselves; they are basically inseparable. Kyungsoo has a bad astigmatism so she often wears her glasses around because when she doesn’t, people usually stay away from her because of her cold gaze but in reality, that gaze means she’s trying to look at them properly. It marvels the boys how easily Kyungsoo could carry things. Like Lu Han. She could carry a lot without even flexing her muscles. She doesn’t work out like the older kids or have any sport like the rest of them. She prefers to stay at home with Junmyeon when the boys are out training with their friends. She likes walking barefoot outside the house – Chanyeol teased her about it, once, and he didn’t see daylight for almost half a day. Of course, she cleans herself when he goes inside. With Yixing and Junmyeon, she tends to the garden right outside their house – Jaeyoung created that garden specifically for the three.

Zitao is a whiny little kid but everyone loves him anyway. He has the gold medal for being the one who Yixing frequently sits in front of; he gets the most wounds and bruises than anyone inside the house. He’s a bit clumsy but it’s because he practices martial arts. The kids at school often stays away from him because he scares them even when he’s not doing anything. The others think it’s cool since they don’t have a talent for martial arts – the only one that could par with Zitao’s flexibility is Junmyeon. The others refer to him as a panda because of the dark circles under his eyes and because he’s into the art of fighting, like that famous movie. He, Yixing, Yifan, and Lu Han are the only Chinese members out of the twelve and the question why they were brought to South Korea is still a question lingering in their minds. Nevertheless, Jaeyoung always takes them to China when they have the time and they often talk to each other in Chinese to practice.

Jongin is a quiet little bear. He sleeps a lot and he eats a lot, too. He has this duality that makes him look scary and rude at school but he’s at home, he plays around like the most of them. His laugh is contagious and light and he’s an innocent soul. He spends her time with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon since they are always the people at the kitchen; he likes to eat the batter from the whisk. Jaeyoung and Minseok usually carries Jongin around when they go out since he’s always sleeping. At the car, whenever they go out, he sleeps and he doesn’t wake up until they’re at their destination and Jaeyoung had carried him in her arms but now that he’s much older, Minseok always carries him on his back. He and Jongdae are the only blood relatives inside the house; they are siblings. They bicker almost every day but they never fight to the point of one hurting.

Sehun is their maknae. He is the epitome of pure evil. He plays pranks on everyone and they don’t know that it was him because he plays the innocent kid and they always believe him – Junmyeon is usually the one who stands up for him. He’s quiet and he likes to observe people. He also likes to watch the havoc he started when he plays a prank on one of the Chingu-line members – Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol (and occasionally Kyungsoo). Like Jongin, he spends his time with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon because he also like eating the leftovers from the food they cook. Everyone spoils him too much and they know it but they can’t seem to stop. Everything around Sehun is light, airy and refreshing – which is not really that surprising because he’s the youngest among them. They just couldn’t stop loving the maknae and they couldn’t help but spoil and give him absolutely everything in the world.

All twelve of them looked forward to Jaeyoung’s weekly stories. Every Saturday night, they all gather around on the living room. The lights are all closed except for the lamp in the middle of the circle they’ve made on the floor. Behind them were their sleeping bags as they all cuddled around one member, waiting for Jaeyoung to start her story.

It was always the same story but they couldn’t see to get over it. Jaeyoung always says that there were Twelve Guardians protecting the Tree of Life. The Tree of life grows on a different planet every time the guardians get replaced when their time has come. The last Tree of life was in a planet called EXO Planet, Jaeyoung said, and it was rumored to be destroyed by something evil, causing the guardians to abandon the planet in search for a new planet to plant the tree in. Jaeyoung also said that there was a legend that there was a thirteenth member in the guardians but every generation always had twelve and only twelve. She said that they all had powers. Once Jaeyoung even said that maybe someday, all twelve of them would get an ability of their own.

She asked them one Saturday night, “If you would have an ability, what would it be and what would you do with them?”

“I want to have one of the Twelve Guardians’ power!” Sehun happily raised his hand high.

“I would like to heal people like the Unicorn in the story, Jae-eomma.” Yixing timidly raised his hand.

“Lightning is cool and it shocks people!” Jongdae smiled cheekily. “It’s like what Junmyeon-noona always feels when she touches me so she might have the power over water.”

“What? I can’t have the power of water.” Junmyeon protested. “That power is reserved for the leader of the Twelve Guardians. I can’t lead others like him.” She shook her head and snuggled closer to her bunny pillow.

“But you’ve always been good at looking after the others, Myeon-ah.” Minseok smiled at the younger. “Whoever has the power over water is the leader of the Twelve Guardians so it’s okay if it’s yours.”

“He’s right, Myeonnie.” Jaeyoung spoke. “You take care of the others like a leader and you always put them before yourself. Don’t worry if you can’t do it, though. There’s always the Dragon to help the Water-bearer, like in the story.”

“That’s Fan Fan!” Zitao exclaims happily.

“I make a mean Dragon!” Yifan growls and the room erupted in laughter, everyone doubling over.

“Alright, that’s it for tonight.” Jaeyoung clapped her hands together to get their attention. “Good night everyone.” A series of mumbled words came from the twelve and Jaeyoung looked at the children one last time right before she took the lamp and went up the stairs, smiling to herself.

All twelve of them were snuggled under their sleeping bags. Sehun was curled near Junmyeon as the older faced the younger in her sleep. Minseok was sleeping facing the tall ceiling with Lu Han right next to him. Yifan was turned to the side, holding on to Zitao’s tiny hand with the younger’s other was holding Yixing’s. Jongin was snuggled near his brother while Jongdae was sleeping facing the ceiling like Minseok. Baekhyun was sprawled outside his sleeping bag like Chanyeol while Kyungsoo was in the middle of the two, sleeping quietly while facing Chanyeol.

They all slept soundly after the story that they didn’t know was the last they would ever hear.

Minseok was sixteen and Sehun was twelve. Like any other school day, they went out of the house at around six thirty with their packed lunch and their finished homework. Jaeyoung drove the kids to two different schools; one to Jongin and Sehun’s for grade school and the others for high school. They went through half the day just fine and thirty minutes before lunch, the kids in high school got called to the Principal’s office.

“Kim Minseok, Lu Han, Wu Yifan from 10-A, Kim Junmyeon, Zhang Yixing from 9-A, Byun Baekhyun, Kim Jongdae, Park Chanyeol from 8-C, and Do Kyungsoo, Huang Zitao from 7-B, please report to the Principal’s office immediately. Please gather all your things.”

All three tenth graders looked at each other from three different rows as they gathered their things to go out of the room. They met up with the seventh graders when they got out since their rooms are quite near to each other. On the hallway to the Principal’s office, they met with the others, who all wore matching expressions of confusion and curiosity on their faces. This was the first time they were called all together. Usually, it was only the eighth graders who were called frequently to the office since they cause trouble around the school – their latest had been because they started a food fight in the cafeteria.

When they knocked on the dark wood and heard a confirmation, Minseok opened the door, muttering “Please excuse us.” Under his breath. All ten high school kids looked in front of them with wide eyes. Sehun and Jongin – who were supposed to be in another school – were sitting on the couch inside the office, their Principal was standing in front of them. On the side, next to the window, there were two police officers looking at them with stern but sad eyes. Junmyeon immediately dropped her bag and went to hug the two sixth graders. Jongin and Sehun squeezed back with all their might, scared out of their wits after being picked up from school by two police officers.

“Uhm, what’s going on?” Yifan was the only with the courage to speak, standing next to Junmyeon, who was kneeling on the floor while trying to calm Jongin down with Jongdae right beside her.

“Why don’t all of you sit down?” their Principal, Ahn Chilhyun-seonsaengnim, gestured to the couch and the chairs near them. Zitao sat next to Sehun, taking the younger’s hand, while Kyungsoo sat next to Jongin. Chanyeol sat next to the small girl, holding her hand, while Baekhyun sat on one of the arm chairs. Lu Han sat next to Zitao, placing a comforting hand on his leg, while Yixing sat on the remaining arm chair, seeing that both Junmyeon and Jongdae were rooted to their spots in front of the maknaes, Junmyeon holding both Jongin and Sehun’s hands in her own. Yifan and Minseok decided to stand right next to Yixing, the farthest away from the police officers and their Principal.

“We are truly sorry for calling you this abrupt.” One of the police officers who introduced himself as Eun Jiwon, said.

“They don’t usually do things like this but Heejun and Jiwon are friends of mine and I asked Heejun to have the conversation here instead of the police station.” Their principal said, placing a hand on top of the other police officer who introduced himself as Moon Heejun.

The worst thought came into Junmyeon when their principal has said what he said. Abruptly, she stood and faced the officers. “Whatever you think the boys,” she gestured to the maknaes. “or we did,” she gestured to everyone else. “We didn’t do it. I’m sure Jae-eomma will confirm that.” she pleaded with solemn eyes. What she saw from the officers and their principal’s faces shocked her. What she heard shook her even more.

“This is about your guardian, Kim Jaeyoung.” Heejun said, pulling out a file from on top of the desk. “She was found dead earlier this morning. We suspected that she was killed right after she came home from dropping you off to school.”

That’s when their world collapsed. The maknaes were brawling their eyes out, clinging to those who were near them. The others were either in a state of shock, screaming their lungs out or in a trance. Junnyeon was neither. She was just staring at the others, starting at the blank faces of the three eldest members and the screaming Chingu-line.

“Junmyeon-ah, did Jaeyoung ever tell you about the story of the Twelve Guardians?” their principal suddenly asked, placing a gentle hand on top of Junmyeon’s shoulder. Wondering why he asked that question, Junmeyon nodded hesitantly.

“Did you ever notice that she was talking about the twelve of you?”

The office was silent. No one knew how to react to that statement. Sehun was clinging to Zitao so tightly that Junmeon doesn’t know it the latter is still breathing. Yifan was the one who broke the silence again.

“With all due respect, sir.” He slammed his hand on the small table next to him. “Please cut it out and stop spouting nonsense shit when we just found out that our guardian got killed!” he screamed and hit the table harder, flinching when the table broke in splinters.

“The Dragon.” Jiwon nodded to no one. “Suwon did have that strength with him when he’s angry.”

“He rarely does.” Heejun said, flipping his hair back a bit.

“What do you mean the Dragon? That is just a story Jae-eomma made!” Yifan roared. Everyone flinched when they looked at him.

“Yifan, your eyes.” Minseok stared in fear, slightly stepping away from the younger in fear.

“Red eyes and narrow pupils. Yup, he’s the Dragon. There’s no denying that.” Chilhyun said while crossing his arms. He sighed, looking at everyone with a stern expression. “Is that enough proof that the Twelve Guardians isn’t just a story?” At the blank expressions directed to them – Yifan was covering his eyes with his hand while seething – Chilhyun, Heejun and Jiwon showed the back of their right hands, flashing a symbol that’s glowing bright blue.

“Those are the symbols of the Twelve Guardians!” Zitao exclaimed, pointing at the three. “Who are you?” he asked cautiously, clinging to Sehun with his life.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re the last generation of the Twelve Guardians and believe it or not, we’re a lot older than you think. A _lot_ older.” Heejun crossed his arms in front of his chest, the glowing symbols disappearing from view. “Or at least, what’s left of us are.” He mumbled.

“If that’s true,” Junmyeon stepped up, “you’re the psychic,” she pointed to their principal. “you’re the time’s keeper,” she pointed to Heejun. Lastly, she pointed at Jiwon. “and you’re…. the water-bearer; the leader.”

“You listened to Jaeyoung well, Junmyeon.” Chilhyun smiled, looking at the younger with crescent eyes. He looked at everyone else and saw the mess of a table in front of Yifan. “Let’s clean that up first.” He lifted his hand and the broken pieces of the table began to rise in the air without anything touching it. He directed the broken pieces next to the trash can by the door, the pieces arranging themselves in an organized fashion.

“What the actual Fuck?” Lu Han cursed, covering Zitao’s ears while Junmyeon and Jongdae cover both the maknaes’ ears.

“Is that enough proof for you?” Jiwon asked with a small smile. “Jaeyoung was a friend of ours and she had volunteered herself to look after you, knowing well that one day, she would be targeted. She told you about the tree in the middle of the lake in your backyard, correct?” Junmyeon was the only one who nodded. “That’s the actual Tree of life. We planted it here after we separated the Heart into two. That was after the fall of EXO Planet. Only Sung Hoon, the previous light-bearer, knows the location of the second half of the tree. Until now, we still don’t know where it is and we plan to keep it that way.” Jiwon looked down, a small shine glistening his eyes but it was gone as soon as it came.

“Jaeyoung’s day came today. We all knew that it will eventually happen but we didn’t know that it’ll happen when you twelve are just kids.” Chilhyun said, looking out the window. “Jaeyoung raised you all so well.” He mumbled.

“So you’re saying that we’re the next Twelve Guardians?” Junmyeon asked, looking at everyone. “I’m sorry but like you said, we’re just kids. We can’t do things like the ones Jae-eomma told us.” Her voice cracked at the name of her guardian.

“Not yet, you can’t.” Heejun said, looking at the twelve. “All you have abilities like us. All of you have roles in protecting the tree. All of you will suffer cruel training to master your own abilities but you all do that together.”

“Isn’t that what Jaeyoung taught you? You will stay together no matter what happens and didn’t she say that you should care for the tree when she’s gone?” Jiwon smiled when all twelve of them nodded. “That’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

“But how? We don’t even know what our abilities are.” Minseok spoke, stepping in line with Junmyeon. “And who will train us? What should we protect the tree from?”

“Sehun has the power of the wind-bearer. Jongin can teleport. Zitao is the time’s keeper, like me. Kyungsoo has the power of force. Chanyeol can manipulate fire, that explains his heat. Jongdae can control Lightning. Baekhyun can create light. Yixing is the Unicorn; a very nice ability for someone who wants to be a doctor. Yifan is, as you have witnessed, the Dragon. Lu Han is the psychic, like Chilhyun-hyung. Minseok can control frost, explaining why he’s always cold.” Heejun pointed at everyone. He looked at Junmyeon, who’s eyes widened.

“You have the power over water, the most dangerous element. You’re the leader of the Twelve Guardians.” Jiwon said while looking at Junmeyon. His eyes widened when he looked at her hand. Junmyeon looked down, seeing the light blue water droplet symbol forming on the back of her right hand. Jiwon showed the back of his own hand, showing his own identical symbol, the blue light pulsing every now and then.

“That’s more proof that you’re the leader.” Chilhyun said. “I’m quite surprised you managed to get your symbol at this early age. Jiwon-hyung got his when he was twenty-two.”

“That means that Junmyeon already has a sense of control over her ability – unconsciously, of course, but that itself is amazing. The rest of you need to work to get your symbols. You will be fighting with the _Red Force_ , the one threatens the balance of life with the tree. We’ll help you to master your own ability the best we can.” Heejun said while looking at everyone straight into their eyes.

“But first, we need to plan for Jaeyoung’s funeral.”

At the sound of their guardian’s name, the younger kids started to cry again but this time, they were silent. It was at that time that they realized that Jaeyoung meant so much more to them than just their guardian.

She was their mother. The best one they could’ve asked for.

Now, they have to stay together to live with the promise of keeping the tree safe along will all twelve of them being happy and healthy.

That was until twelve became eleven, eleven became ten, and now, they're not even sure if ten will become nine. 


	2. SEHUN

Sehun laid on the couch of his apartment. It’s the only apartment he could afford; being a fresh graduate from university. The sky was bright since that morning and Sehun can’t seem to stand from the comfortable spell of the couch. He checked the calendar on the far side of the wall in front of him. It’s been ten years since they learned about their powers; Six years since the last eclipse.

Five years since twelve became eleven.

It was the exact date when they lost Yifan to that maze.

Six years ago today, the house he lived in for sixteen years burned down to the ground. At first, they thought it was one of the many accidents Chanyeol was involved in since he had the least control over his ability among the twelve of them. They would’ve been relieved if it was him the burned it down; at least they know who did it. But no, it wasn’t Chanyeol. The flames that sprouted and grew out of nowhere were blue. Chanyeol’s were bright yellow and orange – even the previous Phoenix’ flames never turned blue. It was so unnatural that Heejun, Jiwon, and Chilhyun ordered the twelve of them to rush to the Tree of Life and surround it. At first, they wanted to stay and help fight but when Jiwon practically _begged_ them to go, they went and did what they were asked. With Junmyeon’s amazing control over her ability, she made sure that the others could walk over water and into the little island in the middle of the lake.

Until this day, Sehun still can’t get the screams away from his head.

Lu Han covered his sixteen year-old ears when a piercing scream cut through the air. Sehun looked around while clinging to Lu Han and saw that Jongin was doing the same with his brother – Jongdae was covering his little brother’s ears. At the second scream – it was a different voice from before, yet, Sehun still recognized it like the previous one – Zitao’s ears were covered by Yifan, the younger already crying.

“Everyone, get down!”

At the sound of their leader, everyone obeyed immediately. Lu Han folded himself over Sehun, Yifan over Zitao, and Jongdae over Jongin. Yixing was near the tree, holding on to the trunk – he does that a lot since he’s somehow connected to it – while Baekhyun was holding on to his other arm, shielding both of them. Chanyeol had folded himself over Kyungsoo, who was forced to the ground when the land shook – which was odd since she could control earth to some extent. Junmyeon was standing in front of everyone, her hands in the air as water from around them rose and created a water barrier to protect them from the blue flames that were directed towards them. Minseok was standing right beside her, freezing a layer of water for extra protection. Sehun stared at them and marveled at how they used their abilities together. Both of them did have the best control over their abilities.

“Junmyeon!” Sehun’s eyes lifted from the two standing in front of them to the person breaking the water barrier. Jiwon stepped in, his clothes stained with red, his right cheek was cut with blood seeping through, his right hand holding on to his severely injured left arm.

“Get out of here!” Sehun winced at the loudness of the command. Yixing immediately detached himself from the tree and rushed to Jiwon’s side, attempting to heal him. Jiwon immediately dismissed him and told that it’s okay and that he won’t last that long anyway. At that comment, Sehun felt tears trying to escape from the corners of his eyes.

“Listen to me, Junmyeon.” Sehun heard Jiwon say when the older limped towards their leader and their eldest. “Take everyone and get out of here. I trust you and don’t forget what I told you.” Jiwon leaned in close to Junmyeon’s ear and whispered something that Sehun is sure that even Minseok didn’t hear. Sehun saw how wide Junmyeon’s eyes went when Jiwon pulled away, the latter showing the smile all twelve of them adored. He saw Junmyeon nod and she turned to them, the water and ice barrier collapsing behind her, only to be replaced with a larger, more forceful water barrier. Sehun was sure Jiwon was the one who conjured it.

“We’re going.” Junmyeon ordered and everyone stood, dusting themselves and turning to Jiwon, who was looking at them over his shoulder, the water barrier in front of him.

“We’re all proud of you.” Jiwon smiled again, his eyes turning into crescents.

They all turned and ran, the maknaes’ hands linked with one of the hyungs’. They never looked back. Not even when they heard Jiwon’s scream cut through the air.

Sehun didn’t sleep that night – all twelve of them couldn’t. They ran and ran all day. They didn’t go to the city since it would be very dangerous for both them and the citizens so they went through the forest, setting up camp in the middle of a small clearing. Sehun was clinging to Lu Han so tightly that he was sure the latter is angry at him but Lu Han reassured him that it was okay so he never let go. Behind the small circle they made around a campfire Chanyeol made, Junmyeon and Yifan were talking to each other in a low voice. Sehun knew they were talking about what to do next and where to go to without any complications and trouble. Their leader had assured them that they’ll get through together. Sehun believed her.

They lasted for three days. After that, they were caught.

Sehun still remembers that day vividly.

The way Minseok tried to protect Baekhyun and Kyungsoo from getting caught. The way Chanyeol almost burned the forest down. The way Yifan tried his best to keep Zitao away from trouble. The way Jongdae screamed when they took Jongin away and the way he screamed louder and thrashed harder when Junmyeon was knocked face first to the ground, a man in a battle suit keeping her pressed down with one knee. The way Lu Han protected Yixing and Sehun. The way Sehun felt when the people in battle armor pierced the needle of a syringe on his arm. The way he woke up without the others by his side. The way voices cut from the speakers around them explained that they were inside a maze. The way he tried to escape the maze by climbing up the wall, only to drop on the ground because of the invisible ceiling that he thought wasn’t there. Everything that happened for a year with minimal food and water and without the others by his side inside that maze, Sehun remembers them all.

He still wishes he didn’t.

Even after five years, Sehun still grits his teeth in frustration. He still blames himself for being too slow when he heard Yifan’s cry. He still wished he wasn’t the first who discovered him lying on the ground with blood pooling fast underneath his unmoving body. He still wished he screamed louder for the others to hear him. He still wished he didn’t just stand there after screaming his lungs out. When he saw Yifan motionless on the ground, he was rooted to his position, just staring at his hyung’s emotionless face on the ground. He didn’t even move one bit when a pair of strong arms forced him to the ground, his hands being pulled and tied behind his back. He just continued to stare emotionlessly the person who was getting dragged in front of him by a bunch of people in white clothes.

Sehun still wished he hadn’t heard Chanyeol screaming at the top of his lungs from the other side of the maze.

Sehun was forced to a room. He didn’t know where it was or what the route was to get there. A few hours later, the others were dragged inside, one by one, until everyone but their two giants were inside the room with him. They watched him curl himself to a ball in the corner of the stone-walled room. They coaxed him to talk, to say anything or to just do something. He remembered their Chinese members talking to each other in a low voice, all three of them speaking in their mother tongue. Sehun knew they were talking about when would Yifan and Chanyeol show up. Sehun couldn’t tell them that he saw one of their oldest dead in front of him. He remembered how Junmyeon – who was the last to come and who was unusually more quiet than usual – hugged him until he slept in her arms.

By the end of the day, the disappearance of their Dragon and their Phoenix slowly made them realize that it was the reason they were gathered after almost over a year of radio silence from one another. Chanyeol showed up two days later – Sehun was counting the hours that passed by – disheveled and it had confirmed their suspicions. Yifan was gone; Chanyeol had lost his counterpart.

Sehun shut his eyes in order not to think about how the eleven of them cried that night. He shook his head, willing for the images to disappear – especially what happened months later. It took him a while but when they finally came out of his mind, he stood and stared at the bright sky outside his apartment. He grabbed his phone and his wallet after a minute of pondering and left the apartment.

He started to roam the streets, looking for his family.

Edinburgh is quiet; nothing really happens. Being a fresh university graduate means Sehun didn’t have money to roam around the world so he spent his summer looking for clues as to where his family might’ve stayed after their split. It’s been four years since they decided to go on their separate ways. They gave Sehun money so that he could finish his college years and he promised Junmyeon that he’d look for her when he’s done. He lost contact with their leader after a year in college. True to his promise, he looked for clues to find not just Junmyeon, but all of them. He had narrowed his search to Edinburgh, where he read about strange forces that can sometimes be felt all around the city. At first, Sehun thought it was Zitao, since he was the only one who could emit such force, but now, he’s not quite sure anymore. He has already stayed in the city for two months and every day, he’s one step closer to finding out where that strange force in coming from.

He roamed the streets endlessly for three hours. The weather had gone from bright and sunny to dark and gloomy in only a matter of half an hour. Checking the final road on the map from his phone, Sehun looked at the time and saw that it was already 3:25 in the afternoon. He looked around and saw the house he was looking for.

It was a fairly large house. The walls were painted with white, like most of the other houses nearby. The street is empty and there were no signs that the other houses were occupied at the moment. The lawn of the house in front of Sehun was mowed and landscaped; bushes lined the pavement leading to the house with flowers decorating the porch. Sehun was sure he looked like a creep observing the house since he’s been circling the perimeter for a while now, trying to look for the force that he’s been feeling since he got to that street. He was lucky there weren’t cameras installed nearby or else, he might be in trouble if they found out he’s been staring at the same house for at least ten minutes. His instincts told him to run because of the overwhelming force that was becoming stronger and stronger with every step he took.

But his curiosity was stronger.

He looked around from side to side before he went to the back. He opened the gate slowly and walked inside the backyard, slowly getting closer to the glass door separating him from what’s inside the house. From outside, Sehun could see two boys staring up. There were toys hanging in the air, slowly moving but it looked unnatural. That’s when it his Sehun; they were the cause of the force. The boys were making the toys float in midair, like how Lu Han did when he mastered his ability in telekinesis.

Slowly opening the glass door, Sehun stepped inside, making the boys look at him. The one on the right was thin and his brown hair was a bit messy. At first glance, Sehun was sure he’s also Korean. The other one, though – the one that was smaller and thinner with black hair – he’s not sure. It was the first time Sehun saw someone, other than the twelve of them, with abilities. But then again, nothing is impossible ever since they found out that they have powers.

“Hello, mister.” The one with brown hair smiled at Sehun, waving his hand a bit. He spoke in Korean, confirming Sehun’s assumption.

“Where are your parents?” Sehun asked, looking around, lightly pushing a floating airplane in the air. He marveled at how the kids had their ability down at the age of mere nine to thirteen years-old.

“They aren’t here.” The other boy, who looked like nine years-old, said as he looked at Sehun with curious eyes.

“When will they come back?” Sehun asked. He wanted to know when he should be out of the house, in order not to get caught.

“We don’t know.” The older boy said. “They haven’t been here since yesterday morning. “They didn’t leave anything for us to follow.”

“Did you call them?”

“No.”

“You should.”

“Why?”

Sehun stared at the boy with brown hair. He looked at the floating toys in the air. They were already shaking slightly. The boy must be angry.

“Hyung.” The younger of the two whispered but Sehun caught it. “You need to stop. The police might come again.”

“When did you start using your ability?” Sehun asked, stepping forwards.

“For as long as I could remember.” The older of the two boys answered as he looked at Sehun. “When did you?”

Sehun was taken aback. He didn’t tell the boy that he has an ability. Well, he did just walk inside a house with floating objects in the air and didn’t scream or call the authorities. “I was twelve when I found out.” He answered.

“What do you do?” the younger asked, crawling slightly towards Sehun.

“I can control the Wind.” He said, blowing a slight breeze towards the two boys. He turned to the older boy. “Does your parents know you can move things with your mind?”

The toys in the air started to shake even more. “They did. They tried to send me away.” Sehun stepped back when the toy fire truck in the air was slowly crushed to a small piece of trash. “They failed since nobody believed them.”

“You’re angry. Stop or you’ll hurt your friend.” Sehun warned, deflecting a small piece of metal that was hurled towards him and the younger boy.

“Hyung.” The younger pleaded.

“Go up to your room.” The older said and the younger obeyed.

“You seriously need to stop. You’ll hurt yourself.” Sehun stepped back when the boy stood and looked at him with sharp eyes. “We’ll call your parents, okay?”

“My parents are long dead. Me and my brother live under a foster home. His parents are dead too. We are both the same. The only difference between us is that his parents died in an accident, my parents died because of me.”

“What did you do?” Sehun winced when he heard the sound of glass ready to break. He heard that sound before; six years ago. Lu Han did that once when he got so angry at Yifan when they were still at the house. Everything broke, everyone was sure Yifan’s bones would, too. Chanyeol had a broken nose and Minseok had a broken arm because of the incident, but thankfully, they calmed Lu Han down before he broke anything else.

“My control.” The boy said. “I lost it.” he looked at Sehun “I made everything float and stabbed them both when they tried to calm me down.”

Sehun winced when the glass vase at the corner of the room broke into a million tiny pieces. He looked at the boy and stepped back, his hand almost reaching the knob of the door behind him.

“Leave. Don’t call anyone. Don’t tell anyone.” The boy said. Sehun, a bit terrified, looked outside when it started to darken. His eyes widened when he saw the sky.

An eclipse.

“Shit.” He cursed under his breath. That explains why the boy was losing control over his ability. There was a dull thud and he looked down on the boy who was kneeling on the ground, probably drained due to exhaustion.

“Hey, kid. I’ll leave, okay? Just don’t use your ability right now.” Sehun carried the boy towards the couch, where he laid him down. All the toys in the air were back on the floor. “Listen to me. There’s an eclipse happening and I don’t know if it’s the same for you and your ability but when an eclipse happens, my ability strengthens but I lose control. The difference between us is that I can fully control my ability but you can’t so don’t use it until the eclipse is long gone, okay? Think of the boy upstairs. You don’t want to hurt him, right?”

The boy shook his head. Sehun stood up. “Okay. I’ll leave. Don’t tell anyone that I was here and I won’t tell anyone about your ability.” He turned and ran out the door.

He knew that if he stayed there, _they_ might take the boy, too, if Sehun was caught.

He continued running until he was far away from the house.

There was pain at the back of his head and he blacked out when he entered the forest. He didn’t even know if he screamed or not.


	3. MINSEOK

“You know me, hyung. I really can’t say no to you.”

“Hey, Minseok?” Minseok turned towards his coworker.

“Yeah?” he asked, lowering his phone a bit.

“Can you serve this to table three? I kind of need to use the bathroom.” His coworker said, face flushed with embarrassment and Minseok didn’t have the heart to refuse so he accepted the order. “Bye, hyung. Duty calls!” he said over the phone before hanging up, pocketing it before going to the other side of the counter.

It was already night so the café wasn’t really busy. There were only a few customers and Minseok was quite relieved since he was getting stressed lately. When he went back on the other side of the counter, another customer went in, the sound of the bell above the door ringing in the air, and Minseok recognized the said customer immediately.

“Good evening, Mrs. Liu.” Minseok greeted in German, like he did a million times before. Mrs. Liu is a regular in the café. She visits him sometimes when she knows he’s on his break.

“Good evening, Minseok.” The woman smiled, stepping closer towards the counter.

“The usual?”

“You know me well.” The woman chuckled. “I’ll be waiting at my usual table.”

“Of course.” Minseok really likes her personality. Mrs. Liu is very rich and is very well known around Germany but she never really exposes herself that much. She’s the very definition of “The goal is being rich, not to look rich”. She often visits the café and she treats Minseok like her son. Once, her real son came and Mrs. Liu introduced Minseok to him. Mrs. Liu immediately thought of them as brothers and so did her son.

“Here’s your order.” Minseok smiled as he gave Mrs. Liu’s coffee and a slice of her favorite cake paid under Minseok’s name.

“Thank you.” The woman said as she told Minseok to seat in front of her.

“How’s work going for you, Minseok?” the woman asked, while stirring her coffee.

“It’s been good; I got a raise. The pay is more than enough for food and rent.” Minseok chuckled, running a hand through his brown hair. “How’s Yang Yang?” Liu Yang Yang is Mrs. Liu’s son.

“My baby boy is currently back in our home town, Düsseldorf.” Mrs. Liu said. “He’s been calling and telling me that he misses his brother already.” They both chuckled.

“Well, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t missing him too.” Minseok turned his head when his coworker called him to help him with the blend of a certain cup of coffee.

“You should go. I’ll tell Yang Yang about you missing him. Who knows? Maybe he’ll come to visit again after knowing that you miss him too.” Minseok copied her smile before heading towards the counter, instructing his coworker on how to blend the coffee. After a few minutes, Mrs. Liu bid goodbye to Minseok and his coworkers and right after that, they closed up the shop and Minseok was already walking home alone.

Minseok likes the cold. Well, that makes sense since he can control frost. Maybe that’s the reason why he decided to stay in Germany when they split. He did consider going to Russia but it’s too near to South Korea so he looked for another place far away from Asia that’s just as cold.

Berlin became Minseok’s home in less than three months. He became fluent in German in just a little over a year and made it look like he was a local. It was nice there and he was spending his time being a barista at a local café that serves excellent coffee. He sometimes stays at a nearby park to relax and since the people there thought that he was a normal teenager, instead of a twenty-six-year-old adult, and he blends in nicely with the youth. It’s been six years since the last eclipse and Minseok was sure the younger kids were already done with their university years.

Well, at least Minseok thought that most of them were; For Jongin, he’s not sure.

Months after Yifan died and Chanyeol’s mutism – it scared Minseok and Junmyeon when Chanyeol, the most talkative person they know, refused to talk – they were all separated again. The only difference was that Junmyeon was determined to bust them all out so she planned to look for Lu Han and Minseok first. Minseok, because he is her counterpart, and Lu Han, because he could get into the others’ heads. Minseok was totally on board with this. The others didn’t know the plan; it was just Junmyeon and him. The others didn’t know that Junmyeon and Minseok were communicating telepathically during their entire time in the maze.

They had discovered that they had this ability with them when they were first caught. At the first month, when they were all separated in different rooms but they were all seeing each other on the screen stationed right in front of their beds. It only allowed them to see their counterparts, though. It happened for the first time when Minseok saw Junmyeon being dragged across the room and outside the door. Seeing how the people in white forcefully grabbed Junmyeon’s hair, making the girl scream at the top of her lungs – Minseok even heard it from his room at the end of the hallway and he could even hear the other members getting angry, screaming for them to stop harassing their leader – and begged for the people in white to let her go, Minseok was so enraged that he screamed at the television and stared at Junmyeon. Being her counterpart, Minseok could feel the pain she was going though. Even he couldn’t handle the pain.

 _“Junmyeon, hang in there.”_ He remembered saying. _“It’ll be okay, Myeon.”_ He remembered adding.

 _“Oppa.”_ Minseok froze on his spot, looking at the television. On the other side, Junmyeon was looking at the camera with tear-stained cheeks, the people in white still pulling her out.

_“Help me.”_

That’s when Minseok and Junmyeon first made contact. Fuming, Minseok started banging mercilessly on the door. His hands were becoming a bloody mess but he couldn’t bring himself to care – he didn’t even feel the pain. He was making his cell freeze, making other people in white bust into his room and sedate him. They didn’t make contact again after three days. During that time, both of them were unconscious. When they woke up, both at the same time, they immediately talked to each other in their minds. Sometimes, Lu Han would talk to all of them – he was the only one who knew about Junmyeon and Minseok’s telepathy. They were talking to each other secretly ever since then.

It took a while for Minseok and Junmyeon to find each other after being released into the maze again. The closer they got to the other made the mental link stronger. Hexagon symbols appeared on the walls and the floor when they walked through a fork or a curve. Both of them didn’t know why but they both felt the need to follow the strange hexagon symbols throughout the maze. Each of the symbols were getting brighter and clearer as their link became stronger. When they found each other – when they turned in a corner, where the symbol on the wall was big, bright and clear – they were immediately chased by people in white and they ran endlessly, hoping to find anyone but the people in white. It took almost half an hour until they bumped into Lu Han.

He was distraught, Minseok remembered. If he and Junmyeon were in bad shape, Lu Han was even worse. He was covered in bruises and cuts and he was having a nosebleed. Blood was seeping through his white clothing and was dripping on the sandy floors. Junmyeon immediately fussed over the older, momentarily forgetting that they were being chased. When the people in white caught up, Lu Han had used his ability to blast them towards the opposite wall. He immediately had another nosebleed and collapsed on the ground. Minseok had to carry him around.

“At least the others already know that we’re going to get out. Lu Han sent the message to everyone right before he passed out.” His counterpart said.

“So much for the plan.” Minseok said as he and Junmyeon ran through the maze without really knowing where to go. “Well, let’s just call this a revised version.” He chuckled.

“He did say that Jongin was finding the center to the maze since that’s the exit.” Junmeyon panted, almost face planting against the wall.

“How does Jongin even know? The two of use only did when we ran into some noisy scientists a minute ago.” Minseok asked, glancing at their unconscious psychic.

“Maybe they also heard from them.” Junmyeon shrugged and soon enough, all three of them face planted on an invisible wall.

“What the–,” Minseok crawled towards the force field and placed his hands on it. Behind him, Junmyeon was making Lu Han sit against the wall. On the other side, he heard the unmistakable voices of two of their maknaes, Zitao and Sehun.

“Guys!” Minseok shouted. The voices stopped for a second before Zitao was shouting back at him.

“Hyung!” he heard the younger say.

“Are you guys alone?!”

“Yeah! We weren’t a while ago. How about you?!”

“Lu Han and Junmyeon are with me!” Minseok looked back at Junmyeon, who was looking at him with worried eyes.

“Are you both okay?!” Junmyeon shouted, earning a confirmation from the other side. They couldn’t see each other because of the barrier in between them. Minseok saw Junmyeon sigh in relief when the maknaes said that they were alright.

“Wait, what do you mean you weren’t alone a while ago?” Minseok asked.

“The others are already by the exit!” Zitao said. “You were the only ones who wasn’t there and Nini was having a hard time teleporting but he said that you were here. We volunteered to find you guys since we know this route like the back of our hands already.”

“Oh my god.” Junmyeon sobbed after hearing that all of them were already by the exit.

“We need to get out of here.” Minseok said to no one, banging his hands on the wall, creating a distorted image of what’s really on the other side. For a brief second, both he and Junmyeon saw the kids. “Hold on!” He yelled to them and both he and his counterpart banged on the wall as hard as they could, using what’s left of their abilities until they couldn’t move anymore. Junmyeon had collapsed on her feet after having a nosebleed.

“Myeon!” Minseok yelled as he, too, collapsed. He dragged himself towards his counterpart and took her in his arms, resting her body against his. Junmyeon’s head rolled to the side when Minseok had turned her. He wiped the blood off from under her nose with the sleeve of his shirt, turning the white fabric into red in a matter of seconds. Junmyeon groaned as she rolled her head around before finally resting it against Minseok’s shoulder.

“Myeon, look at me.” Minseok panted, lightly tapping his counterpart’s cheek. Junmyeon continued to groan against his shoulder.

“A – are you alright?!” Minseok heard the kids on the other side. Junmyeon finally regained consciousness and both of them stood, Junmyeon being supported by Minseok.

“Ye – yeah. We’re fine.” He answered while panting. From behind them, he heard Lu Han shuffling until he went and stood beside him and his counterpart.

“I can break it.” he said while holding his head.

“Not without your – your energy, you’re not.” Junmyeon panted while clutching her head, coaxing Lu Han to sit down. Minseok’s eyes widened when he saw Lu Han smiling at both of them while holding his hand up against the force field.

“Tell everyone,” he started and they were all crushed under an overwhelming force.

Minseok’s eyes widened as he tried to reach for Lu Han. The slightly younger male just smiled at him.

“Tell them that I’ll haunt them if they do anything stupid.”

Minseok knew he heard a scream coming from the other side of the maze.

Lu Han collapsed on the sandy ground beside Junmyeon, both of them unconscious.

With that, the force field broke and they were free to go to the other side. Zitao supported their leader, carrying her on her back, as Minseok carried Lu Han on his own. Sehun led them to the others. They rushed towards the exit, where everyone was already waiting. They were all huddled around someone, trying to wake him up – Minseok knew it was Jongin. Yixing immediately turned and took Lu Han away from Minseok.

Lu Han was already long dead.

Even though the younger was unconscious, Minseok knew Jongin felt everything.

Abruptly standing from his spot at the end of the skate park, Minseok shook the images away. He checked his watch and saw that it was already 5:00 in the morning. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice that he was sitting there for almost three hours already. Good thing his shift’s at one in the afternoon or else, he would’ve been totally late for work.

The trip back to his apartment took only seven minutes. He unlocked the front gate with ease and it made him wonder if it was dangerous to have that kind of gate as the only thing separating him from the outside world. While going up the stairs, he removed his warm hat and increased the volume of his headphones. He bumped to the guy who lives just one floor directly below him. The guy pushed and sneered at him but he didn’t really pay him in mind. Everyone in that apartment complex knew how bad that guy’s personality is.

Minseok opened the door to his apartment while thinking how Junmyeon was. They had agreed to only contact each other when something happens. Even their mental link was dormant; it only meant they were so far away from each other that they didn’t get even a signal from the other. They had exchanged letter from time to time but they were discreet about not giving away their location.

Minseok just sat on the couch in front of the small television in his living room after glancing at the table he usually kept their letters on. His apartment wasn’t much but it was home.

The closest to his home with the others.

Deciding that he wants a drink, Minseok stood and went to the small kitchen on the corner of the apartment. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and began filling it up with water. He passed by his room on the way back to the living room and that’s when he saw the framed picture of all twelve of them on his nightstand. He went inside his room and held the frame of the picture delicately. After four years, that was the only time he admitted that he truly missed everyone.

Minseok looked at the opened brown envelope under the picture frame. His name was elegantly written on top, making the sender obvious as to who it was. Junmyeon could never top Kyungsoo’s neat handwriting. He knew how Junmyeon wrote; messy and in a hurry. For Kyungsoo, she always took her time writing. It had been the only letter Minseok had received from another member aside from Junmeyon during their four years of not being together. He received it after the second year of their separation, wrapped tightly in plastic to protect the delicate paper inside.

Written inside the brown paper, Kyungsoo stated that she was wrong when she said that they shouldn’t be separated. She apologized for everything she had done to convince them to stay – Minseok was one of three that decided to stay; Only Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Minseok were the ones left behind and eventually, all three of them agreed – because in the end, she was the one at fault – Minseok begs to differ since he, too, was at fault. She said something about being able to meet again under certain circumstances – Minseok didn’t know what that meant but he believed it. He thought she was talking about being shrouded in the dark because no one understands them except for them. He thought that Kyungsoo had been right; there was no place for them in the world.

Looking back at the letter, Minseok couldn’t help but wonder how Kyungsoo knew where he was. He never told anyone where he was staying. Heck, even his own counterpart didn’t know where he went off. He passed the thought off after deciding that it was Kyungsoo he’s talking about; that girl scares her even more than Junmyeon does.

Sighing after remembering the contents of the letter, he went back to his previous spot on the television and sat there, watching something absolutely useless. He didn’t move for a minute nor did he think. He just stared.

Minseok abruptly sat up properly after seeing the static on the television. It never did that before in the four years he stayed in his apartment. He saw images of a person on the television and he moved closer to inspect. His guts were telling him to run but everyone knows he won’t because he isn’t the type to run. After what happened to Yifan and Lu Han, he promised himself he would never run away again.

_“Edinburgh, 15:25”_

A picture of Sehun flashed on the screen.

That’s what made Minseok stand and slam the glass he was holding on the table. He made a wild dash towards the door, not noticing that the glass was immediately being covered with frost – he only covered things with frost when he’s angry, overwhelmed or extremely sad. The only thing on his mind was that their youngest was in trouble and he was going to go and help him. He feared that something had happened to him and he cursed at himself when he thought that maybe something happened to the others as well. He mentally reached out to Junmyeon even though he knew that there was a chance that she wouldn’t even hear him because they could be on opposite sides of the world but he still tried.

Minseok didn’t notice someone was on the staircase when he dashed down.

He didn’t even get out of the apartment complex.


	4. YIXING

When Yixing was young, he wanted to help people. He wanted to ease their pain and their suffering when they were sick. He wanted to be a doctor. He wanted to help Jaeyoung when she was having a hard time.

He doesn’t know if that’s part of his personality or his ability.

Being able to heal anything and anyone is a blessing, Yixing thought. Nothing can stop him from holding someone’s forehead and follow the roots of their sickness and cure them in a little over a minute. The only downside was that he couldn’t just heal anyone; he needs to pretend he doesn’t have any abilities. Or else, he’ll be caught and will be experimented on.

When they were young, his usual patients were the Chingu-line members and Zitao. Chanyeol would always burn his hands and occasionally break a few of his bones, Baekhyun would always cut himself, Jongdae would always scrape his knees, Kyungsoo would always hurt herself with a knife and Zitao would always have blood on him from being clumsy. Even before Yixing learned about his ability, he’s been healing everyone unconsciously for the whole of his lifetime. When they have a cut or a bruise, it would magically heal overnight and the others would call it a miracle because they had been good kids. Jaeyoung knew what was happening so Yixing knew she was playing along.

Yixing misses Jaeyoung.

He had been the closest to their foster mother since he was always the one sitting at the back together with her. He has always been the quiet one among them – occasionally with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. Jaeyoung was like Yixing, too. She was quiet, she spoke softly, she never shouts or raises her voice and she never gets angry. Yixing thinks he got his traits from her.

He’s still has her traits until now.

Yixing is twenty-five and he’s already a clerk at a local hospital in Yunnan. It’s a small city and Yixing has taken refuge there when they split, four years ago. He’s continuing his long-time dream of being a doctor because until now, he still wants to help people. It’s also because it’s his promise to the person who took care of him for fifteen years and he wasn’t willing to let go of that promise.

Technically, he’s still a student so he still doesn’t have money on him. When he first came to Yunnan, he was aimlessly wandering the streets, looking for a place to stay. He slept under no roof for three days until one night, an elderly man went up to him and asked if Yixing would help him carrying his supplies to his tea shop. Yixing, being Yixing, agreed immediately and the man had offered Yixing a job at the said tea shop. Ever since then, Yixing had been working for his University money and the elderly man that owned the shop had turned into his guardian. Once, the elderly man slipped a bit of extra cash under Yixing’s pillow when the younger needed to buy his medical gear. Yixing vowed to himself that he will pay everything back. Until now, he’s still saving for all the money he owed the elderly man.

It was already 10:12 in the evening when Yixing got to the tea shop with his bicycle. It was one of those rare nights that he was allowed to go home after spending every, single day at the hospital. He really liked going around the city’s nooks and crannies with the bicycle the elderly man had provided for him. “It’s much easier to move around.”, he said. Yixing parked his bicycle right outside the tea shop and since it was already night time and most of the world was already asleep, the tea shop was empty.

 _“I’m home.”_ Yixing lightly patted the elderly man when he saw him after entering the shop. He was sitting by the counter with his head perched on top of his knuckles. Yixing though he might’ve known he’d be coming home today.

 _“Go and sit by the tables, Xing.”_ The elderly man said. _“I’ll prepare your favorite tea.”_

 _“It’s okay.”_ Yixing said but the man was persistent so Yixing did as he was told and sat on his usual table and chair by the back of the tea shop. He took out his phone and began writing lyrics for a song he’s been working on – he writes songs as a hobby.

 _“How’s the hospital, Xing?”_ The elderly man yawned when he came with Yixing’s tea. He placed it on top of his table and stood next to the younger.

 _“It’s good.”_ Yixing smiled, his deep dimples showing. _“I imagined it’d be harder, though.”_

The elderly man chuckled. _“Okay, then. I’ll leave you to have some peace and quiet. You know where to find me.”_ he said and disappeared through the door to the stairs. Yixing really likes him. He’s nice and kind.

He’s kind of like Jaeyoung.

There was peace in the air as Yixing worked, occasionally sipping from his tea cup. The quiet environment provided the right mood for Yixing to continually work on his song.

What happened next wasn’t something Yixing was prepared for.

The lights flickered and Yixing thought it was Baekhyun again – Baekhyun always visited his counterpart at Yunnan. Both of them thought that they were the only ones that knew where each other was – well, technically, Baekyun knew the location of almost everyone. Oddly, the only ones who Baekhyun couldn’t locate was their leader, Chanyeol and Zitao. Though, he said that Chanyeol always visited him in Lyon.

Yixing, thinking it was his loud counterpart, immediately stood and was about to go to the door to welcome Baekhyun. He immediately stopped and turned towards the stairs going up to the second floorwhen he heard a loud crash, a dull thud and a muffled scream.

 _“Shūshu!”_ Yixing yelled as he twisted the knob of the elderly man’s room and pushed it open with everything he got. His blood run cold when he saw the man on the ground with dark red liquid pooling from underneath him. _“Shūshu!”_ He yelled again.

 _“Xing.”_ The man muttered as he attempted to look at Yixing but failed. Yixing took him in his arms immediately.

_“R – run.”_

_“W – what?”_ Yixing choked on his sobs, trying to desperately heal the older. A hand grabbed his own.

_“They’re coming for you.”_

_“I – I don-,”_

_“D – don’t waste your ability on me, Xing.”_

_“You knew?”_ Yixing stared in shock.

The man smiled, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. _“Of course I did. Use your ability on others more worthy than me.”_

_“B – but-,”_

_“Run, Xing. Don’t let them get you.”_

_“I – I can’t ju-,”_

_“Live and help others, Xing.”_

The elderly man pushed Yixing away with all his might from a rain of bullets coming from outside the window. With a final look, Yixing wiped his tears away and ran, taking his bicycle and never looked back.

Just like before with Jiwon.

He must’ve blacked out because the next thing he knew, he was inside a warehouse and Junmyeon was staring down at him.

“Yixing! Thank god!” his leader gasped and immediately engulfed in a hug. Only then did he realize he was lying on the ground. He wrapped his hands around Junmyeon and buried his face on her hair. It’s been literally years since they’ve seen each other. He missed his leader the most – since he always sees his counterpart – and he’s been dying to meet her again.

“I hate to break this up but we kind of need to find a way out of here.”

Yixing looked up from Junmyeon’s brown hair and made eye contact with Jongdae. Yixing doesn’t know if he was imagining it or not but he thought he saw Jongdae glare – no – sneer at him.

“Where even is _here_?” Yixing asked, looking around.

“We don’t know either. It’s the basement of a mansion, I think.” Junmyeon said, detaching herself from Yixing. “I was the first one here. Hours later, Jongdae was thrown in and you were next, days later. Minseok-oppa still hasn’t regained consciousness since he was dragged in after you.” At the mention of their eldest, Junmyeon pointed at the couch on the corner of the small room, where he saw Minseok sleeping under a jacket. It’s probably Junmyeon’s, judging from the size.

“We tried to break through when you were thrown inside but as you can see, we failed.” Jongdae punched the metallic door that was next to him. It didn’t budge even a bit.

“He’s been acting like that ever since Minseok-oppa and you were thrown in here with us.” Junmyeon whispered to Yixing. Yixing’s brows furrowed. Jongdae has never acted like that before.

“W – what?” someone mumbled. Yixing and Junmyeon turned around from where they were and saw that Minseok was finally waking up.

“Oppa!” Junmyeon sobbed and when to hug the older. Minseok returned it almost immediately, tightening his grip around Junmyeon. Yixing resisted the urge to turn and look at what Jongdae was doing. Judging from the low grumbling sound, he was seething.

“Myeon.” Minseok whispered. “I missed you.” Yixing smiled and walked up to the pair.

“Hyung.” He called and Minseok immediately looked at him and his smile got wider.

“Xing!” he yelled and the three of them were reduced to a hugging mess on the couch.

“Excuse me, but I think it’s time to stop and make a plan to bust this door down. Unless you want to wait for the others to get captured and thrown in here as well before we make a move?”

They all turned to Jongdae, who was impatiently tapping his foot against the stone floor.

“Dae!” Minseok smiled brighter and Yixing saw Jongdae’s sneer turn into a half smile.

“Hey, hyung.” He chuckled – Yixing knew it was half forced.

“Let me go!”

A sudden bang on the other side of the metallic door disrupted the atmosphere. Minseok immediately stood and pulled Junmyeon behind him and placed a hand up to keep her there, Yixing was beside their eldest while Jongdae was in front of them. Another bang, this time louder, made all of them jump and step back. Yixing was sure he heard the voice that spoke before.

“Asshole! Let me go!”

“Chanyeol.” Minseok whispered. Yixing and the others heard it too.

The metallic door suddenly flew open – the door itself on the ground now. A puff of smoke disrupted the view of the other side. It was quiet for a second until someone poked their head it and Yixing immediately recognized that it was Chanyeol. He was panting as he held on to the frame of the door. His hair was disheveled and is still red, like it had always been since…. Yifan’s death. It became his normal hair color ever since.

“Yeol!” Jongdae’s face lit up immediately as he rushed up to the taller and hugged him. Yixing and the others followed suit.

“We’ve been looking for you.” Chanyeol panted as he let Junmyeon go. “The others are upstairs.”

Yixing and the others run up the long staircase almost immediately. Junmyeon was leading as Minseok rushed to catch up with his counterpart.

“Who else are here?” Yixing asked Chanyeol.

“Everyone except Baekhyun, Jongin and Zitao.” The taller answered.

“Thank god they didn’t get them.” Jongdae huffed out when he heard Jongin wasn’t captured like them. Yixing understood as he sighed in relief. At least they didn’t get his counterpart and that itself is something to be relieved for.

“How long had you been here?” Jondae asked their Phoenix. “Junmyeon-noona said she’s been here for almost two days before we came.”

“Sehun came in three days ago. He said that Kyungsoo was here almost a day before him but she’s been unconscious until yesterday, hours before I was thrown in.” They stepped on the marble flooring of the living room when Chanyeol ended his explanation. On the other side, Yixing saw their other two members looking around.

“Sehun! Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon yelled and ran towards the two. Kyungsoo and Sehun immediately wrapped their arms around their leader.

“Isn’t this a wonderful sight to see?”

Yixing heard Jondae and Chanyeol growling under their breaths as they looked around, trying to look for the source of the voice. it took a while to realize that it was coming from the speakers around the large living room.

“You’re still missing three members, right?” the voice said. “You should look for them before something…. Happens.”

“What did you do to them?!” Jongdae yelled, his voice echoing through the living room. Yixing knew he was worried for his brother.

“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything.” The voice chuckled. “My men did, though, but not me.”

“You bastard!” Kyungsoo and Yixing held Jongdae back so he won’t go attacking the speaker above them. Yixing had to let go since the younger was emitting dangerous, high voltage sparks around him. Kyungsoo didn’t let go since it didn’t affect her. The others backed away too. From the corner of Yixing’s eye, he saw Minseok pushing a very vulnerable Junmyeon far away from Jongdae.

“Stop yelling and look for them. Do it before they come.” Another male voice – significantly higher than the first – replaced the other voice. Yixing heard a bit of urgency in the tone.

A sudden siren wailed in the air and they all stood frozen at the sound. They all knew where it came from and what that meant and they all knew who were the people coming for them.

“SWAT.” Yixing heard Kyungsoo whisper as she held on to Jongdae tighter.

“Guys! Split up and find the others. Meet back here after thirty minutes. Remember to not use your abilities in front of officers!” Junmyeon yelled and without the need to tell the command twice, everyone scrambled, holding to the person nearest to them, and went their separate ways around the large mansion.

Yixing took Chanyeol and Sehun with him as they went towards the dining room – it was the closest from their position. They stood in shock when they saw that the room was disorganized and almost everything was broken.

“This wasn’t like this when we were here earlier.” Yixing heard Sehun comment.

“Do you think we aren’t the only ones here?” Chanyeol asked, walking towards the table and inspecting the wreckage.

“I doubt it.” Sehun answered. “We roamed the house and we saw no one.”

A white and red snake slithered passed their feet, not even looking up at them.

“Holy-,”

“What the hell?” Yixing looked at the snake as it was slithering up the wall and out of the window on the other side of the room.

“What the hell is this place?” Yixing heard Sehun ask. Truthfully, Yixing is also getting confused at the layout and the contents of the house. Then again, they were dealing with an unknown force.

“Wait, hyung, come here!” Chanyeol, who was standing on the other side of the table, called to Yixing. Yixing immediately jogged over to the younger.

“What is it?” he asked, standing in between Sehun and Chanyeol and looking at what Chanyeol was pointing at on the table. “What is this?” Yixing muttered, tracing the lines carved on the white wooden table with his finger.

“Isn’t that Bakehyun-hyung? He draws a symbol similar to this often, right?” Sehun suddenly muttered, lightly touching the same carved lines.

“It is!” Yixing shouted in realization. At first, the lines looked like something abstract and doesn’t have a definite shape but when Sehun reminded him about the shape that Baekhyun always draws on paper and sometimes carves on walls – Junmyeon scolded him for that one – Yixing was reminded of the similar symbol that Baekhyun drew based from Chanyeol’s hexagon design. The one carved on the table was a symbol that says “EXO” but without the hexagon barrier around it, unlike Chanyeol’s design. Yixing had been the first to see it since Baekhyun didn’t have the chance to show it to anyone else.

“Is this based from what I drew six years ago?” Chanyeol asked, looking at Yixing.

“Yep.” He nodded. “The one he draws in your symbol, but this, Baekhyun never showed this design to anyone else but me.” he said, looking around. “That must mean he’s here somewhere. He won’t draw this unless he wants us to know that he’s here.” It meant that Baekhyun was captured, after all, but Yixing wasn’t planning on abandoning his counterpart even if it cost his life. He had been there by their side when Chanyeol and Jongin lost both of their counterparts, and he knows half of what they felt. He’s not willing to feel the whole of it because he knows it’s going to hurt and burn.

“We need to find him, then.” Sehun said, also looking around.

“We need to get away from here-,” Chanyeol cut his sentence short when the door suddenly banged open and SWAT officers began to endlessly swarm in. All three of them stood back to back, facing the corners of the room and the SWAT officers.

“Take them alive.” The one closest to Yixing said and the SWAT officers advanced, prying all three of them away from each other.

“Try not to get caught again! Split!” Yixing yelled and they all ran in different directions, the SWAT officers following their every move.

“Submit!” one of the officers yelled at him.

“Hell no!” Yixing yelled, pulling down things that could trip the officers tailing him. He turned a corner, cursing when he saw that it was a dead end. He turned around and saw that the hallway in front of him was filled to the end with SWAT officers.

“Martial arts, don’t fail me now.” He muttered as he backed up when the officers advanced. He hit the wall behind him only a few steps later. He sighed and took a deep breath, cracking his knuckles and looking at the officers in front of him.

“Come and try to get me, fuckers.”


	5. JUNMYEON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I just updated the tags a bit..... I'm guess I'm going to do that a bit often from now on so..... yeah!
> 
> I'm a little late with this update (By an hour or so) but it's here!
> 
> Enjoy!

Junmyeon would be lying if she said that she wasn’t happy to see everyone again. Though, she didn’t expect them to meet in these circumstances.

She was enjoying her time alone in a small but luxurious house in the woods – far enough from civilization without gaining suspicion from anyone but still near enough to get a cell service – even though she rarely uses her phone since they agreed that they won’t contact each other unless it was for emergencies. Marseilles is a cold town but Junmyeon didn’t mind at all – she got used to being around Minseok a lot ever since they were young. She was spending her time reading and working as the grounds keeper of an old mansion near her house. It wasn’t an ideal job for Junmyeon but the location was nice. She picked that place as her shelter since it was humid and humid air is what Junmyeon needs. The mansion she was tending too also had a pool at the backyard so she spends her time there too. It had everything she needed in one place.

She always woke up at seven in the morning but that one time that she woke up at 10:22, almost three and a half hours after she was supposed to wake up, she didn’t know that it was a sign that something was wrong. She had whipped her head towards the direction of the voice; the reason why she had woken up in the first place was because she heard someone calling for her. She was sure she heard Minseok’s voice but she let it pass on when she decided that she was just missing her counterpart. She secretly hopes that she could meet him again.

She went to do her usual stroll towards the mansion as soon as she freshened up. She didn’t bother fixing her hair; she just tied it up to a messy bun and went out. She walked through the thin forest surrounding her house and the mansion, enjoying the atmosphere that she couldn’t get enough of. Junmyeon walked towards the backyard of the mansion since she was feeling a bit light-headed and she needed a few minutes underwater – she does that a lot when she’s sick or she’s stressed out. She was surprised to see the pool filled to the brim with water.

She was shocked since she _always_ empties it at the end of the day and she never, never, leaves it full.

Junmyeon cautiously kneeled next to the pool and dipped her hand in, checking the water. It was just normal water – she felt it – but she didn’t know what happened because the next thing she knew, she fell inside the pool, unable to resurface because of the sudden feeling of having no strength to even keep her eyes open.

She breathed out and woke up on a couch inside a dusty and cold room.

Four hours after she woke up, the metal door on the other side of the room opened and Jongdae was hauled in, unconscious and dead to the world.

“What did you do to him?!” Junmyeon yelled as she cradled Jongdae close to her. She glared at the man in white under the door frame, he was looking down on Junmyeon. She realized that he was wearing the same clothes the people in the maze were wearing. The man said nothing as he shut the metal door before Junmyeon used the force of the ocean to push him out. She would’ve taken the opportunity to escape but with Jongdae unconscious on her lap, she couldn’t find herself to carry him or to leave him. She wasn't that strong, anyway.

“Dae, wake up.” Junmyeon lightly tapped Jongdae’s cheeks right after she placed his head on her lap. “Dae-yah.” She called again and again but each time she did, she got no response.

“Jongdae, please.” She choked on her sobs, cupping Jongdae’s face in her hands. Jongdae still had the same pale skin and brown hair that Junmyeon missed through the years. It made her realize that she missed the others so much more than she let on. She never got the chance to touch Jondae like this when they were young since Jongdae would instantly shock her unconsciously when they made contact. Junmyeon knew that when he wakes up, she’ll never get the chance to do it again.

“Jongdae, please don’t let me be alone in here.”

When her tears fell on top of Jongdae’s pale skin, Junmyeon felt a familiar jolt of electricity from the boy on her lap and instantly released her hold.

“Dae!” she cried when Jongdae finally started to regain consciousness, squirming on his spot. Junmyeon immediately engulfed him in a hug but they immediately separated because of the spark that came from Jongdae’s body.

“No – noona, are you okay?” Jongdae cautiously moved back, increasing the distance between them. “I – I didn’t… didn’t hurt y – you, right?”

“Y – yeah.” Junmyeon hiccupped as she wiped her tears away. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She smiled, curling his hands on her lap into a tight fist to keep her from crying even more – the spark hurts more than the previous spikes when they were young; Jongdae must be getting stronger. Junmyeon's proud.

They stayed separate throughout the duration of their time there. They talked about what they’ve been doing all these years and how they got captured. When Yixing and Minseok came, two days later, Junmyeon took care of them and kept them clean until they woke up. Minutes after the two came to, Chanyeol came and helped them escape the basement. Junmyeon was really happy to see her family again; though, she wished they met under different circumstances. She just hopes they don’t get separated again.

Well, they had to, eventually.

SWAT teams swarmed through every entrance of the large house. Minseok and Junmyeon were scouting the second floor when they were cornered. They weren’t able to find the remaining three of their members and Junmyeon was starting to get really anxious. They fought their way through the barricade in order to escape. Junmyeon looked around when she finally got through. She already lost Minseok because of her thinking. She ran through the maze-like house, trying to avoid as much of the SWAT officers as possible. She caught sight of his counterpart in one of the rooms, talking to someone. She didn’t get a look if he’s talking to the man in front of him or if he was talking to someone on the communication device that he was holding.

“Myeon, look out!”

Junmyeon ducked from the blow the SWAT officer made from behind her. She kicked the man on the shin and ran to stand next to her counterpart.

“Have you seen any of them?!” Junmyeon panted as she and her counterpart rushed towards the living room, not once passing by any of their members.

“They’re outside!” Jongin, who was standing on the second floor, overlooking the two of them, pointed to the back. Jongdae showed up behind him and shouted, “They’re fighting everyone! We couldn’t find Zitao! I think he wasn’t caught. Yixing-ge’s positive that Baekhyun’s here somewhere. Kyungsoo went missing about fifteen minutes ago!”

Junmyeon and Minseok rushed towards the back door, where they met the chaotic site of two sides standing opposite of one another. Chanyeol was standing a little forward than the rest. Behind him, Yixing and Sehun stood.

“Submit!” the person standing a little forward in front of Chanyeol said, holding up his shield.

“Where humans, too. Don’t you know that?!” Junmyeon yelled as she stood in front of Chanyeol. The others followed suit behind her.

“Human with supernatural powers that need to be contained!” the person in front of her said, stepping forwards.

“We’re not dangerous!” Jongin yelled from behind Junmyeon.

“That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be in the future!”

“We’re only like this because you keep running after us.” Junmyeon sneered at the man in front of her. She stepped forwards but her hand was caught by someone from behind her. She didn’t even need to look behind to know that it was Minseok that grabbed her arm.

“What are you doing?” Minseok asked through his gritted teeth.

“I’ll be fine.” Junmyeon said, shaking her counterpart’s hand off and walking to stand in front of the man.

“We’re not as dangerous as you think.” Junmyeon tried to talk their way out of the situation. “We lived for ten years without hurting anybody. What makes you think we’ll hurt anyone in the future?” the man didn't talk for a few seconds.

“Tell me, what’s the reason why Kim Jaeyoung died?”

Junmyeon stepped back at the mention of the foster mother. The man in front of her was talking so low so that only the two of them were hearing each other.

“Moon Heejun.” He grabbed Junmyeon’s arm and pulled her close.

“Ahn Chilhyun.” He stepped closer to Junmyeon.

“Eun Jiwon.” He stared at Junmyeon’s eyes.

“They died because of you, right?”

Junmyeon’s eyes widened when the man dropped his shield and turned Junmyeon around so she could see her members looking at them with wide eyes. The man behind her pulled out a gun and pointed it to the side of her head. His other arm was wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air and making her hands go up to grab the arm suffocating her.

“Make one wrong move and she goes out!” the man yelled when Jongdae and Minseok made a move to sprint forwards. “You’re all monsters!” Nobody made a sound. Everyone was afraid that they’ll hurt their leader. Junmyeon let out a huff of air, white smoke appearing in front of her, as she struggled to look at everyone properly.

“All monsters need to be taken out!”

_“This better work.”_

“You forgot that monsters have allies too, dickhead!”

At the sound of Kyungsoo’s voice, Junmyeon forcefully pulled the man holding her down, successfully flipping him over. She rushed towards the others, accepting the helping hand Minseok offered when he saw her struggling to stand. Behind everyone else, Kyungsoo stood with an army of black masked men behind her.

“What? Do you honestly think we got nobody lurking around? You said it yourself, we’re monsters and monsters are dangerous.” Kyungsoo smirked, walking up to stand with Junmyeon and the other seven. Another man stood next to Kyungsoo and Junmyeon.

“Thanks for doing this, Jiyong-oppa.” Junmyeon said, rubbing her bruised neck.

“No problem.” Jiyong, the person who was leading the army behind them, said. “This is a payment for the favor I owed you.” He looked at Junmyeon and Kyungsoo. “Also, my sister would kill me if I didn’t help you.”

“Boa-noona would strangle you.” Another man came up from behind Junmyeon and she immediately recognized the voice.

“Youngbae, I thought I told you I’d do this operation alone?” Jiyong said, turning to the taller man who stood next to Junmyeon.

“Unnie sent you, didn’t she?” Junmyeon asked the taller man.

“Yep.” Youngbae said, popping the past letter. “She’s afraid that Jiyong would go over the top again.”

“I think we _need_ him to go over the top.” Kyungsoo said, cocking her head towards the SWAT team, who were getting ready to strike.

Jiyong smirked under his mask. Junmyeon knows because she could see the corners of his eyes rising. “Now that we have even numbers, why don’t you try an show just how strong you are?”

“Capture all seven of them alive. Find the eighth and ninth. Kill the others.” The man in front of them ordered.

“Give them hell, VIPs.” At Jiyong’s command, everyone ran and they clashed together with the SWAT team.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Junmyeon.” Minseok said as he positioned himself against Junmyeon’s back, protecting her from behind.

“I know.” Junmyeon shoved an officer down. “I’ll explain later when we get out of this brawl.” They continued to fight, trying their best to escape.

It was a plan set up by Junmyeon and Kyungsoo. They set it up almost a year ago – Kyungsoo was the only one who knew where Junmyeon was. Both of them made it so that if ever they were caught by the government, someone would help pull them out. Kwon Jiyong, Junmyeon’s friend, who also owed her a pretty hefty amount of money, is the brother of someone Kyungsoo knows that owed her a favor; Kwon Boa is her name. As payment for the favor Boa owed Kyungsoo and the debt Jiyong had on Junmyeon, they agreed to help whenever they needed it – both of them knew about their abilities and the others’ as well. Right before Kyungsoo was caught, she speed-dialed Boa’s number and the older woman immediately knew what that meant so they tracked them down and here they are, fighting the SWAT team while Junmyeon and the others escape.

“Junmyeon!” Junmyeon turned to look at Jiyong. “There’s an old airport nearby! There’s a truck waiting for you inside hangar three!”

“Bound to where?!” Junmyeon yelled over the chaos.

“You’ll know when you get there! just go and we’ll handle this!” Jiyong yelled. Junmyeon is slightly conflicted but with the look Jiyong was sending her, she just nodded.

“Give my regards to Boa-unnnie.”

“I will. Now, go!”

Junmyeon turned and gathered her members, yelling their names and pulling them out of the fights they were in. They all ran towards the other side of the house where the chaos hasn’t spread yet.

“Wait, where’s Baekhyun and Sehun?!” Junmyeon stopped and assessed everyone and confirmed that their light bearer and maknae were missing. Panic rose from inside her as she frantically looked around, looking for her missing members.

“I’ll go back. I’ll look for them.” Junmyeon declared and pushed everyone away. “Go to the airport nearby. Jiyong-oppa said that there’s a truck waiting for us!”

“But-,”

“No buts, Yixing. I know Baekhyun’s your counterpart but it’s my job to get you all to safety. We’re all worried for Sehun, I know. We’re lucky they didn’t get Zitao.” Junmyeon said as she turned around and prepared to dash back towards the brawl happening on the other side of the house.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

At the sound of a low growl, Junmyeon and the others turned and saw a man in a SWAT uniform, ready to strike them down. Minseok immediately pushed the younger ones away and ended up getting hit on the back. Junmyeon almost cried out in pain since she also felt that blow. Jongin was about to get caught but Jongdae pulled him out, shoving him roughly towards Kyungsoo. Junmyeon got to the ground and conjured up her ability to try and cause the man to get unbalanced with the force of water. She succeeded and yelled at her members to run and go ahead

“I’ll get Baekhyun and Sehun. Go!” she yelled and the others were reluctant to go but they went when Minseok pulled them out.

 _“You better come back!”_ Minseok yelled at her though their link.

_“I will. Don’t worry!”_

“It’s just you and me.” Junmyeon said when she turned towards the man in uniform.

“You really shouldn’t have done that.” the man hissed, rubbing his neck. “I really didn’t want to hurt you.”

“What the-,” Junmyeon dodged the knife that was thrown towards her. She knew she heard the man’s voice before but since it was slightly muffled due to the mask, his voice was a bit distorted.

Caught off guard, the man used the opportunity to trip Junmyeon, forcing her on her back. She collided with the rough ground. The man straddled her so that she’ll stay down, his hand holding her wrists above her head. She used her strength to break free but the man had a firm grip on her wrists. The man leaned in close to Junmyeon’s face and Junmyeon could see his eyes. She knows she saw the same pair of hazel-colored eyes before.

“Noona, it’s me.”

Junmyeon stopped struggling immediately when she heard the man talk – not in a gruff tone but in a soft one.

“B – Baek?”

“Yeah.” the man – Baekhyun in a SWAT uniform – whispered. “Don’t stop struggling, noona. There are cameras everywhere and we need to put up an act.”

Junmyeon tilted her head to the side for a second before understanding what Baekhyun was doing and immediately continued to struggle, pretending to be in pain.

“Where were you?” Junmyeon hissed through her gritted teeth.

“Out stealing clothes.” Baekhyun said as he cuffed Junmyeon’s wrists. “I kind of need you to become unconscious now.”

“What?” Junmyeon pretended to glare at Baekhyun. “Why?”

“Like Jiyong-hyung said, there’s a truck waiting at hangar three of the airport. Sehun’s already there; I sent him earlier. Sorry I didn’t tell you. I’ll pretend to drive you all out, as if you’re captured.”

“Okay then.” Junmyeon nodded. “Hit me.” When Baekhyun pretended to hit Junmyeon – he hit the ground next to her ear – Junmyeon immediately fell limp and Baekhyun carried her in his arms. Junmyeon felt him run, probably towards a truck.

“I can’t disable the cameras inside the truck since it might get suspicious. They’ll think that one of their officers took you to the rendezvous point.” Baekhyun whispered as he placed Junmyeon inside, a bit roughly. “Sorry, noona.” Junmyeon lightly nodded in understanding. She heard the door close and the engine began to roar. There were voices outside the truck and the passenger side door opened and then closed. The back door opened and someone sat on the chair right beside Junmyeon’s body on the floor. They were off seconds after.

Minutes later, Junmyeon felt the truck stop and she heard Baekhyun go out from the driver’s seat and the screams outside began. Junmyeon heard the unmistakable voices of her members. One voice hovered above the rest; being higher in pitch compared to the rest.

_“What did you do to Junmyeon-noona?!”_

That was the last thing she heard because the officer with her punched her in the head after hearing her move from her spot.


	6. BAEKHYUN

Walking the streets of Lyon early in the morning was a usual routine for Baekhyun since he liked waking in the dark – it was ironic, his members said when they were young. That’s probably because of his ability. Being able to control light isn’t the best – he sometimes wished that he could control one of the core elements, or at least have something like Jongin’s ability to teleport – but it isn’t totally useless, either. He provides light to those who needed it and he takes away those who abuse it. Baekhyun’s been living like that since they all split.

Baekhyun visited Yixing only two months before but he was already missing him. He knew how his counterpart loved walking at night and how he loved exploring the twists and turns of the alleyways of the city. Baekhyun promised Yixing that he would take him to Lyon when he was done with his medicine years and Yixing was more than happy to go with him.

The narrow and winding alleys around the large cathedral near his apartment was Baekhyun’s favorite place to walk through. The silence and the isolation from the outside world was calming – another ironic thing about him since he’s loud and really, _really_ sociable. It’s where Baekhyun goes to meditate when he’s stressed or when he’s in need of a break. It’s funny how a light bearer finds sanctuary alone in the darkness.

It was 6:27 am when he reached the cathedral. It was one of those times when he wasn’t really in need of meditation or peace. He just wanted to stretch his legs after being confined inside his apartment playing video games all night and day since the day before. He had plugged in his earplugs and went on his usual trail, using the entrance to the alleyways at the side of the cathedral. He only walked for ten minutes when he heard static on his earplugs. The lights above his head flickered a bit. Stopping, after taking his earplugs off to inspect them, Baekhyun looked around. He’s never been this paranoid since the 2010 eclipse.

Baekhyun had been the first to notice the eclipse, six years ago; he had been on the rooftop of the house, trying to grasp sunlight and figuring out how to use it – Jiwon said it was possible but Suwon, the previous light bearer, couldn’t do it – when the sky suddenly turned dark and the winds picked up. Baekhyun immediately ran and alerted everyone inside the house, running through the hallways until everyone was in the living room. Baekhyun had a heavy gut feeling that day; it was like he felt that something was going to happen.

He was right. The house burned down and the people who trained them died.

It was the same gut feeling he was having today.

He was right. As always.

_“Someone’s watching you.”_

The lights flickered and the worst thought came into Baekhyun’s mind. After hearing the distorted words through his earplugs and after seeing the lights above his head flicker uncontrollably, Baekhyun made a run for it. He ran through the maze-like alleyways, hoping that he’ll shake whoever was chasing after him. He could hear the faint footsteps of someone behind him as he dashed through the narrow alley. It was completely dark when he turned the last corner. When he came to a dead end – a gate stood tall between him and the other side, where freedom is almost certain – Baekhyun turned, gripping the metal bar behind him.

Saying that Baekhyun was scared is a bit of an understatement; he was _terrified_.

Specks of light suddenly rose from his sides. He knew he wasn’t controlling them because he can feel their energy and it wasn’t from him. He figured he’s controlling them unconsciously again. He does that when he’s scared, anxious or nervous. Baekhyun thinks it’s the same now. He tried his best to think happy thoughts, the intensity of the light specks around him started increasing.

 _“I’m not getting caught. Not today.”_ He hissed in his mind.

Baekhyun gripped the metal bar tighter as he closed his eyes.

_“Not ever.”_

He didn’t know what happened but when he opened his eyes, the narrow alley in front of him was empty except for him. The lights were back on and he didn’t feel any other presence nearby.

Baekhyun ran away from the cathedral and never looked back.

The two days later, he was staring at the international news playing on the television of his apartment. It was playing a clip from the police at Yunnan, saying that a local tea shop owner was found brutally shot to death last night in his room. His foster child seems to be missing.

“Xing-ge.” Baekhyun breathed out as he looked at Yixing’s smiling face on the news. His counterpart was missing the morning two days after he was attacked. It wasn’t a coincidence.

In a state of panic, Baekhyun reached for his laptop and searched the web for any reported missing people around the world. He knew where most of the others were so he knew where to search. He looked up a German news page where he saw a man, a twenty-five-year-old barista and is identical to Minseok, was reported missing the same day Yixing’s foster father was attacked. He saw that a groundskeeper at Marseilles went missing three days ago – he didn’t know which of his members was staying in Marseilles but he had a hunch that it was their leader. He saw the news of a freakish thunderstorm that occurred at the same time a librarian at a local library in Almaty went missing the same day as the disappearance of the groundskeeper. Baekhyun also saw the trending news on how an Arizonian forest was burned to the ground almost instantly from the fire that sprung out of nowhere.

Immediately, Baekhyun knew that his members got caught. He turned to get his phone. He dialed the number of the person he didn’t know he would meet again so soon.

“Hyung, I need help.”

“I’ll always be here to help you, Baekhyun.”

“No – I mean; I _need immediate help_.”

“What do you need.”

“Access.”

“To what?”

Baekhyun bit his lip, looking at the news that was still talking about Yixing and his foster father. He shut his eyes and willed the tears to go away.

“I need to find out what the government is up to. Specifically, the SWAT Team.”

There was silence on the other side.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

Baekhyun released a sigh of relief. This was the first and last time he’ll be asking his friend to do something like this. He never intends to do it again. No matter how much the older would insist that he’ll help him.

“Thank you so much, Joongi-hyung.”

“Anytime, dongsaeng.”

From what Joongi, his hacker friend, had told him, the American government was planning on attacking an abandoned mansion in the middle of Glenwood Springs in Colorado. From what Baekhyun knew, Kyungsoo was staying at Colorado. Judging from the position the Arizonian forest was burned, Chanyeol was probably on his way to her.

Baekhyun now knew that they were going to dispatch the top officers of their SWAT them to Glenwood Springs to capture the inhabitants of the mansion. Apparently, information was fed to them and they said that the people there were connected to the strange object that was found on the moon four years ago. Fortunately, Joongi found the name and information of the informant.

Baekhyun sneered at the person who fed them that information.

Lee _fucking_ Daesuk. The man that sold them out to the government four years ago. The reason they ran and split. The one who sold them out again. Baekhyun doesn’t know how or where he was getting his information from; even Joongi doesn’t know. All he knows is that Daesuk is dangerous and has eyes everywhere.

Seven years ago, Daesuk worked for Chilhyun at their school. Baekhun knows this because he frequented at Chilhyun’s office. He’s a simple man; Baekhyun doesn’t know what happened to him what he was now. Somehow, the older male had found out that they were special and that they were gifted and had promised to keep it a secret from everyone. He did his oath in front of Chilhyun and the other guardians. For three years, he kept his promise.

After that, he sold them out. That was the reason why they all separated and roamed the world. It was a good thing they didn’t give him their real names. From the start, Chilhyun knew that he couldn’t be trusted so he told Baekhyun the others to call each other by their fake names whenever Daesuk was around – it was easy to pretend since Daesuk only comes around when Chilhyun needed him and they only meet in Chilhyun’s office. They were right because two years after Chilhyun and the others died, Daesuk came and told the government about kids that has supernatural powers. Four years later, he did it again.

“Do you want me to dig deep on this Lee Daesuk-guy?” Joongi had asked him over the phone when Baekhyun called the older after he had landed in Colorado.

“Yeah. He’s a fucking snitch, I tell you.” Baekhyun sneered. Joongi knows that they have abilities; he found out by accident. For the four years Baekhyun knows him, he hasn’t told anyone about them. Baekhyun knows that he can be trusted. That’s what his gut tells him.

His gut is never wrong.

“Okay, then.” Joongi answered. “Be careful out there, Baek.”

“I will. Thanks again, hyung.”

“No problem.”

Baekhyun hung up and rushed to Glenwood Springs.

Baekhyun never expected to see a sight like this when he entered the mansion. He stealthily entered through the window; he saw a white snake enter so he followed it until they were both inside the house. The house was filled with SWAT officers and Baekhyun could hear the war cries his members were shouting as they ran through the house. He quickly disarmed the SWAT officer that was the closest to him – thank god for his training in hapkido – and quickly changed into the man’s clothes when no one was looking. He pretended to be one of the people hurting the others – although he didn’t want to do it, he needed to. He wondered off to the dining room and surveyed the area.

“What’s this?” he asked himself when he saw the carved symbol on the white wooden table. It was the same symbol that he designed based off of Chanyeol’s drawing. He only drew it once and he had only shown that particular design to Yixing. Suddenly, the realization that maybe his counterpart was calling to him, hit Baekhyun like a ton of bricks and it made him look around, trying to catch a glimpse of his counterpart.

“Baek.”

Baekhyun ran to a corner, making sure that no one was seeing him, took off his mask and whispered, “What?” to Joongi, who was on the other side of the communication device on his ear.

“Jiyong just contacted me; he’s a long-time friend of mine. Apparently, he has an agreement with Junmyeon and Kyungsoo. They’re on their way. They prepared a truck inside hangar three of the old airport nearby.”

“Okay. Thanks, hyung!”

“No problem.”

Baekhyun wore his helmet on again and ran to the other side of the house. There wasn’t anyone on the other side since they were all at the back, preparing to fight. Baekhyun was eternally grateful to Joongi now. He made a mental note to pay him back when they get out of this mess.

He was so lost in thought that he forgot what he was supposed to do and he ran into Sehun, who was rushing towards the backyard.

“Woah, stay back!” their maknae warned as he distanced himself from Baekhyun.

“Wait, Sehun. It’s me!” Baekhyun removed his helmet and smiled at Sehun. The younger immediately dropped his stance and ran to hug Baekhyun.

“Hyung! I missed you! Where have you been? What are you wearing? Why are you wearing that?”

“Woah, Sehun, calm down.” Baekhyun ruffled their maknae’s black hair. “I have a plan in mind.” He said and an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

“I need you to sneak out from the brawl that’s about to happen on the backyard and go to the old airport nearby.”

“What?” Baekhyun sighed at the bewildered expression on Sehun’s face.

“I told you, I have a plan. All you need to do is sneak out secure the truck that’s inside hangar three.”

“But-,”

“Sehun, please. We’ll get the others out.” Baekhyun sighed again.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course.” Sehun replied without any hesitation.

“Sneak out when I give you the signal.”

“Okay.”

When Baekhyun had successfully gathered his leader, he set off to find the others, who were probably running towards the airport. He knew that Sehun was already there and that he was waiting for them. At the back of the truck he’s driving now, Junmyeon was pretending to be unconscious and since there were cameras installed inside the truck, Baekhyun needed to keep up appearances. Plus, there were two other officers with him – they weren’t part of his plan but he decided to roll with it. When he met the others, however, he was glad that the truck’s cameras were only inside. The cameras picked up audios, though, so he had to speak like how the officers spoke.

“What did you do to Junmyeon-noona?!” Jongdae screamed at him when he stepped out of the truck and faced the others. Bakehyun really didn’t want to hurt any of them. Especially after he already hurt their leader – who is a _girl_ and Baekhyun never hits girls!

“Get in the truck.” Baekhyun said in the coldest voice he could. “She’s inside. Why don’t you join her?”

Jongdae went to punch him but the two other offices with him smacked him to the ground. Minseok was next and he was punched in the gut by one of the officers with Baekhyun. He blacked out seconds later. One by one, they went and tried to hit the three of them. Since they were all tired, they were all taken down in less than five minutes. Baekhyun and the other two officers cuffed – they weren’t ordinary handcuffs; they restricted their abilities and Baekhyun was getting curious as to how the government got their hands on such things – and shoved them inside of the van right after that.

Baekhyun was sure Jongdae and Minseok were ready to bite his head off.

“I’ll take it from here.” Baekhyun said to the other officers with him. “I’ll get them to the rendezvous point.”

“Are you sure?” one of the officers asked.

“Yeah. Go back and tell the others the freaks are already captured.” Baekhyun bit his tongue after saying such word to describe his family.

“Alright.” The other officer said and they were off towards the mansion again. Baekhyun climbed on the driver’s seat and began driving towards the airport. He could hear Junmyeon waking up and she was muttering incoercible words under her breath. Baekhyun made a mental note to apologize to her when they’re out of this mess – he knew the other officer with him punched her in the head right before he went out.

The drive was silent. From the rearview mirror, Baekhyun could see his members’ cuts and bruises. They all blossomed purple on their pale skin. Specially on Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. They all kept their heads hanging low as they sat in silence. Baekhyun knows that they were probably worried because him and Sehun wasn’t there. They were lucky that Zitao wasn’t captured. Either way, Sehun was probably getting anxious for the safety of their other maknae.

When Baekhyun stopped the car in front of the closed gate of hangar three on the airport, he made sure to disable the cameras first. It took a while but when he did, he went to the back and opened the back door, looking at the sneering faces of his members.

“You know, making faces like that can give you wrinkles.” He said as he removed his helmet and showed to them that he wasn’t part of the SWAT team.

“BAEK!” they all chorused as they filed out of the truck. They all took turns giving Baekhyun a head-butt or a punch.

“I can’t believe you!” Chanyeol had yelled at him before he engulfed him in hug.

“Yeah, I can’t really think of anything else to say.” Baekhyun laughed as he detached himself from Chanyeol and began removing everyone’s handcuffs.

“Noona, I’m so sorry.” Baekhyun apologized to Junmyeon, who was perched on Minseok’s back because she was still dizzy and incoherent.

“’s okay.” She said as she buried her face on Minseok’s hair.

“Hey! When will you intend to keep me from waiting?!”

“SEHUN!”

Baekhyun and the others ran towards their maknae and hugged him so tightly that they forgot what they were supposed to do in the first place. Junmyeon had smacked Baekhyun’s head to remind him why they were there and they immediately went inside the hangar and boarded the truck.

Baekhyun was at the shotgun seat. Chanyeol took the driver’s seat. The others boarded at the back. They had laid Junmyeon on top of the stacks of their jackets on the floor of the truck so that Yixing could heal her properly. Once Baekhyun was sure that they were all settled at the back, he turned to face the front and looked at the note that was stuck to the windshield but tape.

_“Drive to Denver.”_

“Can we trust whoever prepared this truck?” Chanyeol called from the driver’s seat.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo answered from the back. “Just follow what’s written there.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol looked in front and started the engine. Chanyeol began driving towards Denver without a second thought.


	7. JONGDAE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations, Jongdae!!!!

Jongdae has never really felt the heat. He was already used to it since he lived in Almaty for three years. When they had spit, four years ago, he was the only one who actually _roamed_ the world; The others stayed in one place. After a year of countless money spent and sleeping in various hotels for a month, Jongdae finally settled in Almaty, where he’s sure that he’ll never be found. He lived as a librarian in the library. It provided good pay and it was more than enough for rent and his daily needs. He’s been living happily since he settled in. For once, he actually felt normal; He didn’t use his abilities that much.

That’s until the moon started covering the sun in broad daylight.

That was the day Jongdae was caught. It was because of the eclipse. It made his ability malfunction and being one of the three people who had the least control over their ability, Jongdae caused a massive thunderstorm that day. He was caught the day after that. He didn’t even have the time to resign.

The night in the basement with Junmyeon had been the best and worst day of his life. After more than two decades of being together, he finally got to touch Junmyeon – technically, it was the other way around but Jongdae still calls it a win. The feeling of her hands on his skin felt almost like a dream to him. They never touched each other like that. When they do, Jongdae would only end up hurting Junmyeon and that’s the last thing he ever wants to do. After seeing the pain and suffering their leader went through to make them safe and to keep them away from harm, Jongdae couldn’t bear to see her hurt.

Especially after that one time he _killed_ her.

It was the most traumatic experience in his life.

It had been only seven months after they learned about their powers. Chilhyun and the others were training them on how to use their abilities. Jiwon always concentrated on Junmyeon since she’s that one who’s supposed to lead them in the future. Jongdae had always been the farthest away from her when they trained. When they stood in a line, Junmyeon and Jongdae always stood on opposite ends. Jongdae understood. After all, next to Chanyeol, he had the worst control over his abilities. Jongdae understood that it was for the greater good of everyone.

Yet, he still feels hurt seeing his leader at the other end of the line when she could be standing next to him.

They always stayed apart from each other. Jiwon said that it was the same for him and the previous lightning-bear; they always had fights before. Whenever Jongdae was playing with his lightning, everyone takes Junmyeon out of the house – that’s when Jongdae’s inside; when he’s outside, they take Junmyeon indoors. They would always scold him. They sometimes shouted at him. Junmyeon never did, though. She always smiled at him and told him that she wanted to watch the lightning shows Jongdae makes when he’s outside of the house. The others always discourage her when she goes out to follow him. Jongdae almost wanted to scream at them for being over the top but deep inside, he knew they were right so he just went and cooled his head down whenever they did.

But hearing that Junmyeon _wanted_ to be close and to see Jongdae use his ability made him think that maybe, just maybe, he has a chance after all.

Almost two and a half years after they had found out about their powers, Jongdae finally got the hang of his own ability. He was seventeen at that time; Sehun was fifteen while Minseok was nineteen. He was practicing almost every day so that he’ll be able to fight and protect the tree when it came to it (He’s been training on how to restrain his ability so that he’ll be able to touch Junmyeon without shocking her).

Jongdae had put on a lighting show whenever there was a typhoon. Sehun would help control the winds while Jongdae lit up the sky with a beautiful display of different colored lighting that danced above them. The others always watched him control everything from the roof of their house. He was always by the little island where the tree was located. Junmyeon always stayed close with Kyungsoo when they watched so that the other girl would ground strays that pointed at their way. Kyungsoo suggested it since she felt bad when Junmyeon stayed inside, only watching the show from the window, while the others watched from the rooftop.

One particular afternoon, it was starting to get dark, there was a lightning storm heading their way. Jongdae felt it even before it came and he had informed his members about the storm. Heejun and the others were out due to their jobs and they wouldn’t come back until later that week so there weren’t any training sessions and all twelve of them were spending their free time quite nicely. When Jongdae felt the lightning storm coming, he immediately stood to do his usual job of making sure the lightning is well contained and that it won’t cause much damage to the areas around them. Technically, he didn’t need to do it but he considered it as his training.

“It’s a bit stronger than the other storms you’ve contained.” Lu Han had said to him when he was about to go out of the house.

“It’s okay. I think I can handle it.” Jongdae had replied and he went out to walk towards the island – Kyungsoo had made a bridge for him to walk on.

“Be careful!!” Junmyeon had shouted at him from the second floor of their house and Jongdae had flashed her a thumbs up before he disappeared on the other side of the fog that’s surrounding the water.

“Alright, let’s see how tough you are.” Jongdae said to the sky as he raised his hands in the air, feeling the electricity flowing through his veins. The first bolts of lightning came before the first rumbles of thunder. It had started to rain harshly and the winds slowly picked up. Jongdae had done this a lot of times before. There wasn’t a storm he couldn’t handle.

Except this one.

Mere minutes after the first lightning bolts escaped the sky, Jongdae found himself unable to control every single one of the bolts. They were too many and they were too strong for his body. He was aware that the fog around has cleared due to the wind and he was also aware of the heavy rain pelting against his skin. He was lucky that he’s counterpart is Kyungsoo; If it had been another member, they would’ve surely died from the electricity. He could see the house from where he was but he couldn’t see the others on their usual spot on the roof. He thought they might’ve taken shelter inside because they saw that Jongdae was having a hard time controlling the storm. Jongdae thought it might’ve been for the best since he might accidentally hurt one of them. Or worse, he might hit Junmyeon.

After a particularly strong bolt of lightning hit Jongdae, he felt his insides jolt and whole body jumping at the contact. Electricity doesn’t normally hurt him. That’s probably why he thought that the storm was just too powerful for him and his inexperienced body. He let out a scream after he had felt another strong bolt hit him.

And another.

And another.

And another.

After the fifth strike, he was sure his voice was gone due to his screaming. He had fallen on his side and the little control he had on the storm was gone; It was raging to its full capacity now. Still, Jongdae didn’t want to give up. He was going to prove to the storm, to the others and to himself that he was the stronger one. He stood and looked up at the sky roaring at him from all directions. He raised his hands in the air as he sneered.

Lightning struck him countlessly; He became a human lightning rod. His body filled up with so much energy and electricity that he could feel the urge to explode. He thought he could do it. He thought he could channel it. He thought he could gain power over it. But no, it was too much for his body but he couldn’t cut the flow. He tried to move, he really did, but he failed.

_“Jongdae!”_

Her voice cut through the raging winds, the harsh rain and the roaring sky. Jongdae’s eyes flew open when he heard her call for him again.

“Junmyeon, no!”

Minseok’s voice didn’t reach her. Jongdae knew that when Junmyeon slammed herself against Jongdae’s charged body, when the lightning flow was abruptly cut due to the interference of another, when he felt Junmyeon touch her, when he felt Junmyeon’s arms wrap around his neck, he knew.

He knew she was going to die.

The pained cry that left Minseok’s mouth proved it. It wasn’t only their eldest that screamed. Everyone else did. Jongdae knew that he did, too. He clung to Junmyeon’s unmoving body, her grip around his neck no longer had force to it. He knew her heart wasn’t beating already. He knew that he had killed their leader. He knew that he screamed when Yifan and Chanyeol forcefully pulled her away from her. He screamed when Yixing had tried to revive her. He screamed when he felt electricity flowing through his veins. Because of sadness. Because of anger. Because of disappointment.

Lu Han and Kyungsoo had grabbed his hand when he was about to let the stored energy inside him out. They had smacked his hand against Junmyeon’s chest. Jongdae had tried his best to restrain the current that was about to go out but Lu Han and Kyungsoo had screamed at him to release it. So he did.

It started Junmyeon’s heart again.

They took her back inside the house. Chilhyun and the others got back from their respective jobs right after. Junmyeon was unconscious for a week and Jiwon gave clear and strict orders for Jongdae to stay away from Junmyeon until he could control his ability. Jongdae gladly stayed far away even if it meant that he would get hurt. He convinced himself that it was for everyone’s own good. He convinced himself that it was for Junmyeon. He didn’t want to admit that he was hurting because of it. He was so disappointed and mad at himself that he couldn’t even _look_ at Junmyeon in the eyes anymore.

After what happened, he knew had just lost the only opportunity he had to be together with the person he loves the most in the world.

Jongdae likes Junmyeon.

No, Jongdae _loves_ Junmyeon.

Jongdae knows he’s not the only one.

Yixing loves Junmyeon.

Minseok loves Junmyeon.

And Junmyeon loves _Minseok._

It hurts Jongdae right through his bones.

The way Junmyeon looks at Minseok like his birth was the best thing that was given to the world. The way she treats Minseok different from the others. The way she looks when Minseok does something for her. The way Minseok laughs at his jokes. The way she asks him to teach her. The way she would drop anything for Minseok. Really, Jongdae shouldn’t be surprised since they are each other’s counterparts but Junmyeon and Minseok’s relationship was different from the others’. It was hard not to see them as a couple because of how they acted.

Jongdae has lived enough years to know what it means for someone to look at another like how Minseok and Junmyeon looks at each other and how Yixing looks at Junmyeon like she’s everything in the world. He should know; he looks at Junmyeon like that.

So when Jongdae caught himself staring at Yixing’s face as the latter healed Junmyeon with a worried expression, when Junmyeon looked up at Minseok’s face and smiled at their eldest, who was fussing about her getting hurt this badly, Jongdae know that Junmyeon loves Minseok as much as Jongdae, Minseok and Yixing loves her.

Jongdae balled his hands into fists, clenching tightly to the point of his knuckles turning white. Kyungsoo had nudged him from her seat next to him. Jongdae immediately let go of his grip and sighed, closing his eyes to relax.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked in a whisper, clearly worried for her counterpart.

“It’s nothing.” Jongdae said softly, leaning his head back until he hit the window behind him. He smiled at Kyungsoo’s efforts to talk to him.

They had been driving for hours already and he was sure that Chanyeol’s already tired. Jongdae needed a break so he tapped on the glass separating them from the two in the front.

“Yeol, take a rest. I’ll take over.” He said when Baekhyun turned around and when Chanyeol hummed in acknowledgement.

“Are you sure?” Chaneyol asked, slowing down his pace.

“Yeah. We only have another three hours to reach Denver. I’ll drive all the way.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol slowed the truck and made it stop at the corner of the road. He climbed down from the driver’s seat and into the back. Jongdae replaced his spot up front and began driving towards the city. Beside him, Baekhyun raised the thick divider between them and the others at the back.

“They won’t hear us on the other side.” Bakehyun said as he shuffled into a more comfortable position. “So, what’s wrong?”

Jongdae had to hand it to Baekhyun; He’s more perceptive than he looks.

“I’m overthinking things. It’s nothing.” Jongdae said, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Are you sure? It doesn’t seem like nothing.” Baekhyun looked at Jongdae.

“Yeah. Don’t’ worry about it.” Jongdae smiled, briefly glancing at Baekhyun.

“Okay.” Baekhyun doesn’t sound convinced but Jongdae was glad he dropped the topic. Baekhyun really is something.

The drive to the city turned quiet, like their conversation never happened at all. Baekhyun had fallen asleep beside Jongdae. The older had taken down the divider an hour after he set it up so that the others knew where they were already since the windows at the back were black. Jongdae knew that the others were already asleep at the back. The only one that was awake was him.

And Junmyeon.

“Noona, you can sleep for a while.” Jongdae said when he caught her eye from the rearview mirror – he quickly diverted his gaze away. “We still have an hour and a half to go.”

“It’s okay. I’ll keep you company.” Junmyeon smiled at him and Jongdae really didn’t have the strength to put up a fight so he just nodded and continued to look at the road.

True to her word, Junmyeon stayed up with Jongdae as the others slept through the whole drive. They were engulfed in a comfortable silence for the whole duration of their trip and Jongdae was happy with that. Junmyeon occasionally hummed songs while Jongdae happily listened. That was enough for him.

When they finally entered the Denver territory, Junmyeon had woken Kyungsoo up to tell Jongdae where to go. Kyungsoo had instructed him to drive towards the other end of the city, towards the Centennial Airport. Jongdae pulled over at one of the rest stops so that they could talk when they got near and hey all crammed on the tight space behind the truck.

“There’s clothes here at the back.” Kyungsoo said, pulling out a box from under their chairs. “Let’s wash up and change inside the hotel nearby.”

“Do we even have money to rent even a single room?” Minseok asked, yawning and stretching on his spot.

“We already have a room.” Kyungsoo said, pulling out a card from the wallet inside the box full of clothes. “We booked two. One for me and Junmyeon-unnie and one for you guys.”

“Who’s Min Kyungmi?” Chanyeol asked, holding up an identification card.

“That’s me. There’s other identification cards for you guys as well. Of course, they’re not your real names.” Kyungsoo answered while talking the card from Chanyeol. Jongdae didn’t miss the confused expression on their Phoenix’s face.

“Where did you even get these stuff?” Jongin asked.

“I have a lot of contacts, Nini.” Kyungsoo answered.

“Just how many?” Jongdae tilted his head towards the side. “You showed up in the middle of a brawl with an army behind you. You got us a getaway truck. You got us fake I.Ds. You booked us rooms in a four-star hotel. What’s next? You’ll get us tickets to fly away from here riding a private jet that’s taking off from the Centennial Airport?” Jongdae raised a brow at Kyungsoo’s indifferent expression.

“I didn’t know you can read minds.” Kyungsoo said seriously. Jongdae’s eyes widened. “You should tell me these things. I’m your counterpart.” She whined a bit.

“Did I just predict what you set up for us?” Jongdae looked taken aback by his own question. “I’ll add that to my resume the next time I apply for a job.” The occupants chuckled at Jongdae’s little joke. Soon, they were back on track again.

“The people who helped us back there work for someone that owes me and unnie. They just paid it back. The getaway truck was from someone I know. I had them contact Jiyong-oppa to tell us about it. The clothes, money and the identifications came from them, too.” Kyungsoo explained.

The phone inside the box suddenly rang and Kyungsoo answered it without hesitation and without even looking at the caller I.D.

“I hope you got everything ready.” She said through the phone that’s lying on top of the box. It was on speaker so Jongdae and the others were hearing the conversation.

“Come on, noona, you know me.” a male’s voice came through.

“I know. I’m just making sure.” Kyungsoo said. Jongdae saw her rolling her eyes before she let out a small smile.

“Everything’s ready. Don’t worry, noona.” The voice chuckled. “I’ve sent Doyoung with Kun. I think they’ll be landing in about six hours.”

“That’s perfect, actually. We just arrived at Denver. We’ll stay at Hilton for the time being.”

“Alright. I’ll call again when they land. I already gave this number to the two of them. They’ll probably call you too.”

“Okay. Thanks again for doing this, Johnny.”

“No problem noona.”

Kyungsoo hung up and looked at everyone. Jongdae knew that they all had the same expression on their faces. Jongdae was so confused that his head was already hurting.

Jongdae knew he wasn’t the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah.....
> 
> Leave comments?
> 
> Kudos?
> 
> Hehehe
> 
> Congratulations, again, Jongdae!!!!
> 
> If your kid's a boy, let him debut in NCT DREAM, k?
> 
> I'll be waiting in 2035!!


	8. KYUNGSOO

Kyungsoo didn’t know that staying in Colorado would mean her capture. It was a good thing she was prepared. Kyungsoo’s head was already hurting with all the questions being thrown her way. She didn’t ask for this; she merely wanted them to escape and probably not meet ever again for their own good. Though, she knew it was never going to happen because they are a group of potentially dangerous monsters that could very well destroy the world in only one day.

_Monsters._

Kyungsoo never really thought of them as vile creatures that shouldn’t walk on Earth. She had convinced herself that they were just unordinary people; they were different, she thought, and there was no way they could par with the rest of the world. Kyungsoo had accepted that when they were locked inside that bloody maze.

Like _Pets_ that turned into _Monsters._

That was the worst year in Kyungsoo’s life. They lost Yifan. After months, they lost Lu Han. Kyungsoo doesn’t know the feeling of losing a partner. She doesn’t know what it feels to lose someone that you’re bounded to. She doesn’t know how it feels to be Chanyeol and Jongin. Kyungsoo’s sure that she doesn’t want to know. The idea of losing Jongdae scared Kyungsoo. The mere thought of losing anyone else after the two scared her even more.

After the maze, she spent more and more time with Chanyeol and Jongin. She knew it didn’t do much but she’s showing that she cares for them and that she’s there for them. She showed them that they’re not alone. Kyungsoo didn’t know that the small act she did made a much larger impact to them than they would admit. They had promised, the three of them, that they wouldn’t leave each other; that they would stay together.

But, at one point, they had to leave each other for their own good.

Kyungsoo had been against the idea of separation. Her hand was tightly gripping Chanyeol’s hand as she looked at him and Baekhyun with wide eyes. It was Baekhyun that suggested the separation, Chanyeol had supported him almost immediately. Like Kyungsoo, Junmyeon was against it. Kyungsoo knew that their leader was having a hard time weighing down the options and making a decision. Zitao was next to agree. Chanyeol had let go of Kyungsoo’s hand to stand next to Baekhyun and Zitao, right in front of Junmyeon and Kyungsoo. The others were left in the center, trying to pick a side. When four of them made a move – Minseok was the only one who stayed still – not towards Kyungsoo and Junmyeon but towards Baekhyun and the others, Kyungsoo snapped.

“You can’t seriously be considering leaving!” She had shouted to Yixing, Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun. She eyed her counterpart a little longer than the others.

“I think….” Yixing started, looking at Baekhyun’s team and at Kyungsoo’s. “I think they’re right, Kyungsoo.”

“What the hell?” Kyungsoo balled her hands in her sides. “And here I thought you would be the one to convince them to stay.” She sneered, the ground shaking a little.

“Jongdae!” his counterpart flinched at her call.

“Kyungsoo, try to think about this for a second.” Jongdae stepped towards Kyungsoo but the girl backed away out of his reach.

“You too.” Kyungsoo mumbled, on the verge of tears. She shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”

“Noona.” Sehun whispered, a bit terrified. He clung to Jongin, who also clung to him. They looked at Kyungsoo with matching quivering expressions. Kyungsoo stepped back again, looking at the others with a disappointed look on her face.

“I can’t believe you.” She whispered again, dodging Junmyeon’s hand. “I can’t believe you.” She repeated, continuing to step back.

“Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon’s soft voice cut through the tension in the air as she reached out to touch Kyungsoo but Kyungsoo was stubborn; she was angry.

“What happened to ‘We are one’?” Kyungsoo asked all of a sudden, sneering at everyone. The maknaes had avoided her gaze while the others just stared at her with various expressions.

“I wish Yifan-ge and Lu-ge were here.”

Kyungsoo glared at everyone – especially at her counterpart, Chanyeol and Jongin – before turning at her heels and dashing out the front door, avoiding the others and pretending not to hear the various voices calling after her.

It was the first time Kyungsoo had shown her real emotions – well, second time actually; the first, she doesn’t know if she’s supposed to regret or accept – but that time was different from this. Kyungsoo had been so angry at them that she ran away as fast as she could without stopping and without noticing that she was already crying. Her mind was so clouded that she didn’t realize that she was already at the city. It was at least five miles away from their house – she just amazed herself at that time. The moon was already brightly shining above Kyungsoo when she found a spot to sit in.

“I’m so stupid.” Kyungsoo whispered to herself. She sat under a large tree in the park, wrapping an arm around her stomach lightly. There wasn’t anyone around since it was already ten in the evening – she saw a clock inside a restaurant on her way to the park. Kyungsoo folded her legs against her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs to keep them there.

“What would you’ve done?” she asked to no one, looking at the branches of the tree hovering above her. “Yifan-ge?” she called. “Lu-ge?” a tear slipped from her eyes. She was surprised she still had tears to cry out.

She started to cry again. It was silent; no one was around to witness her cry in public for the first time. She wished there would be someone to console her – to talk to her, at least – but there was no one to even see her be pathetic and miserable. She stayed in the same spot for hours before picking herself up. She roamed the streets right after. It was a good thing she had money on her – she started carrying money around at all times after getting lost that one time when she was a kid – that’s everything she had since she left her phone at home. She spent her money on a motel at the other end of the city. It was enough space for her to clear her head. Before she knew it, Kyungsoo had stayed there for almost three days. She fell sick after the first day and she vomited almost every hour so she stayed on the floor, right beside the bathroom door, for most of the time.

The night after the fourth day, Chanyeol, Jongin, Jongdae and Junmyeon came knocking at her motel door, asking for her to come out and go home. Kyungsoo had just emptied her stomach – again, for the nth time that night – and had been feeling weary since that morning. She felt like dying – maybe Jongdae was feeling her pain and that’s how he found her. Sometimes, she hates the link.

“Kyungie?” Chanyeol had called from outside. Kyungsoo’s anger came back almost immediately.

“What?” she snapped, glaring a hole on the door.

“Kyungsoo, you can’t hide your pain from me, you know that.” Jongdae said, twisting the doorknob. “Please, come out.”

“Come on, noona.” Jongin pleaded. Kyungsoo heard the desperation in his voice. “We’ll sort this out.”

“What’s there to sort out?” Kyungsoo scoffed. “You’re all going to leave, anyway. I’m the first to go.” There was silence on the other side.

“Kyungsoo, open this door.” Kyungsoo heard Junmyeon’s voice. “We can’t teleport in. People might see.” Junmyeon said lowly.

“This isn’t like you, Soo.” Chanyeol said, lightly knocking on the door.

He was right, this wasn’t Kyungsoo. She never acted like that before. She’s usually the person that will rationally think things through and pick the best choice. But Kyungsoo was already having a hard time and she didn’t want another thing to weigh on her.

“Kyungsoo.”

The chilling voice of her leader made chills run up her spine. She never heard her talk like that before.

Kyungsoo stood up, stumbling on her feet, and fell again. “Kyungsoo, are you alright?” She heard Jongdae ask from the other side. Kyungsoo slowly walked towards the door. She placed a hand on the knob, turned and pulled. In front of her, Junmyeon stood with an indifferent expression on her face. Behind her leader, the other three stood, looking at her with worried expressions on their faces. Kyungsoo was almost ashamed of what she did. _Almost._

Until Junmyeon slapped her.

Jongdae hissed, looking away.

“Noona.” Jongin called in a small voice when Junmyeon was about to raise her hand to land another slap on Kyungsoo’s cheek. Kyungsoo closed her eyes, waiting for another blow. Except, it never came.

Junmyeon decided to hug her, instead.

That’s when Kyungsoo released everything. She cried, clinging to her leader with everything she had. Kyungsoo sobbed against Junmyeon’s shoulder as her leader smoothed her hair, slowly getting rid of the knots. Kyungsoo would never admit it but she missed how Junmyeon hugged her all the time.

“Let’s go home, Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon said, placing a kiss on top of her head.

Kyungsoo felt a strong hand grab hers and before she knew it, they were back home with the others. Kyungsoo didn’t see he worried expressions on their face since she fell asleep almost immediately, still feeling the large hand on hers.

Looking back, Kyungsoo was both right and wrong at the same time. She was wrong because the separation did them all good and she was right because no matter what they did, they were still bound to get caught. That was the reason why she came prepared.

Kwon Boa, a friend Kyungsoo made when she was in Japan owed her a favor. Kyungsoo never really thought of it as something the older woman needed to pay but since Boa had insisted that Kyungsoo would call when she needs help, Kyungsoo agreed. Coincidentally, Kwon Jiyong, Boa’s little brother, owed Junmyeon money. So, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon met one day, and made plans. Kyungsoo made additional plans, just in case. She’s happy she didn’t get to show it off since it might’ve gotten…. bloody…. During that fight.

The phone ringing on the corner of the room snapped Kyungsoo out of her thoughts. She immediately stood from her spot on the balcony and strode towards the table, passing the others, who turned their attention towards her and the phone. They were all inside the girls’ room since Junmyeon was refusing to let them out of her sight. Kyungsoo glanced at their leader, who was standing in the corner, phone in her hand. She has been trying to contact Zitao for almost an hour now.

“Hello?” Kyungsoo greeted, putting the call on speaker.

“Noona, it’s us.”

“Doyoung.” Kyungsoo breathed. “You’re here?”

“Yeah, outside your door.” Kyungsoo looked at Sehun, who immediately stood from the couch to open the front door. Kyungsoo left the phone on top of the table and walked towards the hallway. Sehun was there, pulling the door open. On the other side, Kyungsoo saw Doyoung and Kun standing with smiles on their faces. They stepped inside, walking towards where the others were gathered.

“I’m Kim Dongyoung. You can call me Doyoung.”

“I’m Qian Kun.”

“Good evening.” They both bowed.

“Kyungsoo, can you come with me for a second?” Junmyeon called from the corner and gestured Kyungsoo to follow her inside her room.

“Stay here.” Kyungsoo told the two and she let herself get pulled towards the door. When Junmyeon closed the door behind them, the leader turned to Kyungsoo.

“Are you sure we can trust them?” her leader asked, a stern expression plastered on her face.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo answered without hesitation. She has known them for almost three years already and they haven’t broken her trust in those years.

“Do they know?” Junmyeon asked, gesturing to generally everything around her.

“About our abilities?” Kyungsoo tilted her head towards the side.

“Yeah.”

“Come on.” Kyungsoosighed as she pulled Junmyeon outside, where they saw the disastrous scene of Baekhyun having a staring contest with Doyoung.

“Baekhyun, what are you doing?” Junmyeon called when they entered the living room, gaining the attention of everyone.

“I don’t trust him.” Baekhyun pointed at Kun, who was standing behind Doyoung. “I don’t know why, but I really don’t.” Kyungsoo saw him glare at Doyoung, then at Kun. Doyoung wasn’t doing anything but to stare back. Kun was doing the same.

“Calm down.” Kyungsoo said, getting in between Doyoung and Baekhyun. She lightly pushed the older back, sending him lightly stumbling against Yixing.

“Kyungsoo.”

“Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo dared when Junmyeon called for her. The others gasped.

Silence lingered in the air.

“Can you call Johnny?” Kyungsoo asked Kun without removing his gaze at her leader.

“Now?” Kun asked, voice higher than usual.

“They don’t trust you yet. Better show them where you came from.”

“Okay.” Kun snapped his fingers together. A holographic screen appeared in front of him. He swiped his hand, making the screen turn to the side so that everyone – who was staring at Kun with wide eyes and slightly opened mouths – could see what’s on the screen.

“They’re gifted too.” Kyungsoo said to the others, causing their eyes to widen even more.

“Call Youngho-hyung.” Kun said out loud and a picture was shown on the screen.

“What the hell is that face?” Doyoung asked, judging the caller ID on the screen.

“That’s Youngho-hyung when he snorted out coffee from his nose.”

“Am I even going to ask how you got that picture?” Kyungsoo asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Technology is everything now, noona.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kyungsoo and the others looked at the screen, where Johnny was sitting on his chair, staring at them with a raised brow.

“Just calling to talk to my favorite dongsaeng.” Kyungsoo said, crossing his arms.

“Aww, thank you, noona.” Johnny grinned at him.

“Not you, stupid. I was talking about Jaehyun.”

“That hurts.”

“I don’t really care.”

“That hurts even more.”

“Excuse me, but what is going on here?”

Everyone turned to Junmyeon, who was wearing the most confused expression Kyungsoo had seen on her. Her expression matches with the others perfectly.

“Everyone, this is Seo Youngho.” Kyungsoo gestured to Johnny, who was waving at them.

“Good evening.” The man greeted, bowing at them. “You can call me Johnny.”

“He helped me a bunch of times before. He’s the one who provided us with everything.” Kyungsoo said, glancing at Junmyeon. “He also knows about us, our abilities, and our purpose.”

“What? How?” Junmyeon asked, stepping forwards.

“You know that after the maze, when we came back, the tree was already protected under a law, right?” Kyungsoo said, crossing her arms.

“It said that nobody can go in or out of the perimeter of the house and the tree.” Sehun said, stepping forwards. “What about it?”

“Well, Johnny’s dad was the one who placed that order.”

“Wait, you’re Seo Janghoon’s son?” Jongin asked, looking at the screen in awe.

“Yep.” Johnny said.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Everyone turned to Chanyeol, who was eying Johnny with narrow eyes. “You’re Seo Youngho, son of _the_ Seo Janghoon? The same Seo Youngho that’s currently running Suh Enterprises?”

“Yes, yes I am.” Johnny chuckled.

“Wait, Suh Enterprises?” Sehun asked, a bit confused.

“‘John Suh’ is Johnny’s English name. Their family has been running Suh Enterprises since forever ago and has been topping in every possible way in every country in the west.” Jongdae explained to Sehun.

“For someone who stayed in Edinburgh, which is in Europe, _in the west,_ you’re not pretty updated.” Kyungsoo sighed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“What would the most powerful family in the west want from us?” Baekhyun asked, raising a brow. Kyungsoo pinched the bridge of her nose. The situation was really getting out hand. That was the last thing she wanted right now.

“We don’t want anything from you. We just want to help.” Johnny said truthfully, looking at Baekhyun in the eye. “We learned about you even before I was born.”

“But why?” Jongdae sneered at the screen.

Johnny shrugged, looking at the side. _“Mark, put that down!”_ he yelled in English and turned back to them. “Sorry about that.”

“I still don’t understand.” Junmyeon pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know about us and about the tree. How can we trust that you won’t give us to the government or something like that?”

“Look at who you’re talking to, Junmyeon-ssi. Plus, we’re practically more powerful than the government.” Johnny answered. “Like I said: we just want to help.”

“Unnie.” Kyungsoo called, right before Junmyeon could retort. The others turned to her. “Do you trust me?”

“I do.” Junmyeon answered without any hesitations.

“We all do.” Minseok said, placing a hand on top of Junmyeon’s shoulder. “Myeon, try to hear them out.” He whispered, standing close to her.

“Believe me when I say I trust Johnny with my life.” Kyungsoo said. “Trust me, I know it’s not like me to do this, but in the years I’ve known him, he hasn’t let me down; not even once.”

“Plus, if Youngho-hyung betrays Kyungsoo-noona, she’ll be the first one to hunt him down.” Doyoung said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“We know she won’t leave anything for the others, or even us, to beat up.” Kun called from in front of the screen. “It’ll be like the head of Suh Enterprises magically disappeared overnight.”

“I hate you guys.” Johnny whined.

 _“It’s true though.”_ someone called from beside Johnny.

_“Jae! I trusted you!”_

“Do you really trust this guy?” Junmyeon placed a hand on top of Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Like I said: With my life.” Kyungsoo stared intensely at her leader’s eyes, trying to prove her point with her gaze.

“Okay.” Junmyeon finally said. She nodded and looked at Johnny. “If Kyungsoo trusts you this much, then I’ll try my best too.”

“It’ll be a pleasure working with you.” Johnny smiled sincerely as he tipped his head forwards. A few seconds later, the call disconnected.

“You should probably rest up.” Doyoung said, looking out the window. “We’re leaving once it gets dark.”

“Did you book a room?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yeah. We’re right across the hall if you need us.” Kun said, waving his hand in the air, making the screen disappear.

“Okay then.” Kyungsoo ushered them towards the door.

“I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

“We’ll be waiting across the hall.”


	9. JONGIN

“I don’t know, guys.” Jongin heard Baekhyun talk from the other side of the room. They were back on their own room; Junmyeon and Kyungsoo were on the room right beside theirs.

“I don’t trust that Chinese guy.”

“Kun?” Yixing asked, looking up from the phone that was given to him by Doyoung and Kun – they were all given one. Jongin has yet to touch his. “I’m surprised you even knew that he’s Chinese.” The older said.

“I have this feeling in my gut.” Baekhyun replied as his brows furrowed.

“Maybe you’re just hungry.” Sehun piped from the corner of the room, raising a protein bar from the counter.

“No. That isn’t it.” Baekhyun gritted his teeth. Jongin tilted his head at the serious expression on the older one’s face. He was never like this before. It was weird seeing their light-bearer serious. First, it was Kyungsoo acting weird and now, Baekhyun. “I’m usually not wrong.” Baekhyun whispered.

“Well, to be fair.” Jongin started. “I don’t trust them either.” Though, he couldn’t think of anything that would make Kyungsoo act like that. She has never been the type to trust anyone just like that without having solid evidence that they can be trusted.

“I think we need to stop doubting her.” Jongin heard Minseok say from his spot on the bed in the corner of the room. Their eldest had just come back from the balcony. He was calling someone earlier but Jongin didn’t hear their conversation. He doubts anyone did. Minseok’s voice was quieter than usual when he talked in the phone. “Come one guys. This is Kyungsoo we’re talking about.” Minseok said.

“I talked to her earlier and she seems solid about her beliefs. Let’s just see what happens.” Jongdae said. “We need to be prepared, just in case.” Everyone nodded and continued to wait.

Jongin wasn’t a fan of waiting around. Being in the busy streets of London made him realize that. He thought that staying in a crowded place would lessen his chances of getting caught since there were always people around. Though, that didn’t stop _them_ from watching him. Both he and Baekhyun had always thought that someone was watching them. They had tried to contact each other whenever they could to find out if one of them were caught. Thankfully, it never happened. Until one night when Baekhyun contacted Jongin. The only flaw was: it wasn’t Baekhyun. That was the day Jongin was caught.

“Nini.”

“Huh?” Jongin snapped his head towards Sehun, who was fidgeting with his fingers right beside him on the couch.

“Can you come with me?” Sehun asked, a bit nervous.

“To where?” Jongin furrowed his brows at the distressed figure of his fellow Maknae. “Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not.” Sehun said, picking on his nails.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jongin isn’t one to comfort, Junmyeon takes the title for that, but when it came to his best friend, Jongin was willing to try anything for him.

“I – I need to talk to Junmyeon-noona.”

“Alright. Let’s go.” Jongin grabbed Sehun’s hand and they walked towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol called the bathroom – it was near the door so he could see Jongin and Sehun. The taller was brushing his teeth when the two passed by.

“Sehun’s going to talk to Junmyeon-noona. We’ll be back in a bit.” Jongin called back, earning a hum from their Phoenix. Jongin and Sehun through the door right after that. Normally, Jongin would just teleport from room to room since he practiced his ability like that, but ever since he teleported inside the bathroom, not knowing that it was occupied by one of his noonas, he never did it again when he was just going to the room next door.

He got a beating with the force of the ocean that night. Jongin never wants to upset Junmyeon ever again. At least it wasn’t Kyungsoo. He doubts he would survive if it was her.

Jongin knocked on the girls’ room and it got answered in less than a minute.

“What’s wrong?” Junmyeon asked immediately after opening the door. She eyed Sehun, as if she knew that something was wrong with him. Jongin was sure that their leader saw how distressed Sehun was.

“Come in.” Junmyeon ushered them towards the couch. Jongin sat right next to Sehun.

“Where’s Kyungsoo-noona?” Jongin asked, looking around and not finding the older anywhere.

“She’s talking to Doyoung and Kun across the hall.” Junmyeon answered as she locked the door. It was a precaution.

“Sehunnie, what’s wrong?” Junmyeon asked, kneeling on the carpeted floor in front of the couch. Sehun stayed quiet for a while. Jongin and Junmyeon exchanged glances at each other, both of them confused and worried for the youngest.

“I – I-,” Sehun choked on a sob. Maybe Sehun’s just scared, Jongin thought. They all were and maybe it was just getting to him. However, when Sehun uttered the next few words, Jongin hoped that there was another reason why Sehun’s been acting like that.

“I think Tao-hyung’s dead.”

The silence that was surrounding them was suffocating. Jongin wanted to punch Sehun for what he said but he couldn’t bear to do it. Sehun won’t even look him in the eyes.

“Jongin, I think you need to step out.” Junmyeon said in a soft but stern voice, as if daring Jongin to disobey but at the same time, begging him to leave. Jongin, who didn’t want to leave Sehun, but he didn’t want to hear anything that would break his heart either, went out and slowly shut the door behinds him. He could hear Sehun and Junmyeon talking in hushed voices inside but he couldn’t bear to eavesdrop at something that will probably scar him.

If Yifan’s and Lu Han’s deaths had not, already, did.

Lu Han.

Jongin missed him. The day they lost him was the best and the worst day of his life. Obviously, it was the worst because his counterpart died; It was the best because they had escaped the maze.

Jongin was so happy when he met with Lu Han that day. Both of them had been disheveled, beaten and bruised. Both of them had escaped from the creepy men in white that were supposed to capture them. Strangely, Jongin and the others doesn’t know or remember most of what happened during the time that they were kept in the maze – the men in white told them that it had already been a year and a half since their capture – they only thing they recall is that they were running around the maze, trying to get away from the men in white. That was it; they recall nothing else. Jongin had asked Lu Han that day, “Why are we running?”. Lu Han had answered that he doesn’t know. Jongin asked why couldn’t they use their powers. Lu Han had said he didn’t know either. If they could, Jongin would’ve teleported them all out or Kyungsoo might’ve blasted a wall to see everyone or Lu Han could’ve tracked everyone down. But no, their abilities were restrained. The more they used their abilities, the more weakened and battered they become, that had been Lu Han’s theory.

“We need to get the others.” Lu Han had said to him, grabbing his hand and rushing to god knows where.

“Wait! I saw Chanyeol-hyung earlier!” Jongin huffed, already exhausted from his, nearly an hour long, run.

“What?” Lu Han stopped and looked at Jongin. “Where is he, then?” he asked, looking around.

“He’s off to find the others.” Jongin answered. “He said that he knows where the exit is.”

“What?! Then he should’ve told you where!” Lu Han exclaimed, a bit distressed. Jongin knew it was because he still wasn’t over Yifan’s death, that’s why Lu Han is getting more and more anxious about the members. Jongin understood; he’s still not over Yifan’s death, too.

“That’s the problem!” Jongin and Lu Han ducked to the ground after hearing an explosion happen on the other side of the maze, a bit near to them. “He doesn’t exactly know were!” Jongin raised his voice.

“How can he know where the exit is if he doesn’t know where it is?!” Lu Han’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

“He said he’s been seeing things, like flashes of the exit, inside his mind.” Jongin and Lu Han continued running. “You get visions, too, right?”

“I do but they I can’t actually control it. They come and go and they’re like jigsaw puzzles, but without the picture, so I don’t know what they are.”

“Chanyeol-hyung said that it started when we first got here. It stopped coming more than half a year later.”

“But why though?” Lu Han huffed. “He controls fire. He shouldn’t have anything related to the mind. Unless he’s got a hidden ability in him that we don’t know yet.”

“A second ability, maybe? Kind of like you?”

“Telepathy and Telekinesis are complimentary.” Lu Han explained. “Chilhyun-hyung said that one can never be separated from the other, so, it’s not considered as a hidden ability, like Chanyeol’s Phoenix or Yifan’s Dragon-,” Lu Han’s voice strained a little on the mention of Yifan’s name. “but it’s not considered as a second ability, either.”

“Whatever it is, Chanyeol-hyung seemed adamant that it was the exit. He said that it was in the center of the maze.” Jongin and Lu Han stopped in front of a fork.

“The only problem is: we don’t know where the center is.” Lu Han huffed, looking around.

“I’ll use my ability for a bit.” Lu Han said, touching the ground. A few seconds later, he convulsed and fell on his side.

“Lu-ge!” Jongin screamed, doubling over in pain as he felt his counterpart’s pain.

“It’s okay.” Lu Han coughed, slowly standing up. “I know where the exit is. I’ll give it to you and you’ll have to lead the others there.”

“Wait, no! Hyu-,” Lu Han placed his hands on Jongin’s head before Jongin could protest against him. A wave of information rushed to him immediately. Within seconds, he already knew where the location of the center was, along with the location of the other members.

A sharp pain at the back of his head erupted within a second too.

“Lu-ge!” Jongin scrambled to his feet when he saw his counterpart laying on a heap on the ground. “Lu Han-ge!”

“I – I’m fine.”

“You are not fine!” Jongin was as equally shocked at Lu Han at that time. That was the first time Jongin screamed; the first time he got angry. He never thought he had that voice inside of him until that time.

“Jongin, look at me.” Lu Han grabbed the sides of Jongin’s face, making him look at his counterpart. “I’ll be fine.”

“You are far from fine.” Jongin sobbed, finding it hard for him to open his eyes because of the tears.

“I will be.” Lu Han connected their foreheads together and made Jongin look at him in the eyes.

“We will get out from here, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now that you know the location of the center and the others, you can teleport to them.”

“Okay.”

“You will find them and you will look for me.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll bring us all home, safe and sound.”

“Okay.”

Lu Han separated their foreheads, looking at Jongin straight in the eyes. Jongin’s lips quivered as he looked at his counterpart. “Promise you’ll be safe.” Jongin pleaded.

“I promise.”

Jongin never made a promise with anyone ever again.

Just thinking about Lu Han made his eyes water. He slid down on the carpet, burying his face on his hands, as he silently cried, remembering that Lu Han and Yifan wasn’t with them anymore. The others were right about Jongin; the strongest-looking person is the weakest among all of them. It was supposed to be a joke but Jongin couldn’t help but think of it as true.

He wasn’t strong enough to fight like the others.

He wasn’t strong enough to protect anyone.

He wasn’t strong enough to handle what Sehun said about Zitao.

He wasn’t even strong enough to protect his own counterpart.

He wasn’t strong enough.

He wasn’t stro-,

“You know, sitting and crying on the floor like that makes you look like an idiot.”

Jongin raised his head at the voice of his noona. In front of Jongin, he saw Kyungsoo, looking down at him. He was lost in thought; he didn’t even hear the door in front of him open. “Noona.” He cried, feeling the tears gather once again.

“You look like a baby bear.” Kyungsoo said, stepping forwards until she was hovering above him. “A cute baby bear.” She extended a hand and waited for Jongin to take it. Jongin eventually did and stood.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked, reaching up to wipe the tears from Jongin’s cheek with her thumbs.

“It’s nothing.” Jongin smiled, feeling grateful at the gesture, knowing well that Kyungsoo isn’t one to show this much affection to anyone, so, he has savoring the moment.

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo tilted his head to the side. Jongin nodded and at the same time, the door behind him opened, revealing Junmyeon holding Sehun’s hand while her other hand is holding the knob.

“Sehun, are you okay now?” Jongin asked immediately, as if he wasn’t crying just a moment before.

“Yeah.” Sehun nodded timidly, sniffing and looking at the ground. Both Jongin and Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon, who just smiled at them as she shook her head.

“I think Sehun needs to take a small break.” Junmyeon just said. “How much time do we have?”

“About six hours.” Kyungsoo answered. “Doyoung said we’ll be leaving at nine.” Junmyeon nodded and turned to Jongin.

“He needs to sleep.” She said. “Lead him back to your room and tell the others that he’s tired. Don’t pressure him to talk.” Junmyeon said, looking back at Sehun when Jongin nodded firmly.

“It’s okay.” She said, ruffling Sehun’s black hair. Jongin grabbed his hand and lightly pulled him out of the room and into the hallway.

Jongin and Sehun was off to the room next door right after that. Jongin had locked the door of the boys’ room behind him and Sehun. The others questioned the two of them immediately. Minseok was the only one who didn’t question them. He just stayed on his bed, staring at the ceiling, like he was deeply thinking about something. Like Junmyeon ordered him, Jongin told the others that Sehun was tired and that he didn’t feel like answering questions as to why he was crying or why he was silent. Jongin sent him straight to bed, promising his fellow maknae that he’ll be there when he wakes up. Sehun fell asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow.

True to his word, Jongin stayed next to Sehun’s side throughout the four hours that he was asleep. They had been called to prepare for their flight an hour before they were supposed to board the plane. They all met up with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon and Doyoung and Kun right after wearing the clothes Doyoung and Kun told them to wear.

“I look weird wearing all black, considering that I’m used to using all white.” Yixing said when they met on the hallway. They were all dressed the same, like they went straight out from a frat party.

“Okay, so, we’ll be boarding a private plane that is cloaked to look like the rest of the surrounding planes.

“How?” Minseok asked, raising a brow.

“Kun controls technology, as you saw earlier.” Kyungsoo explained, earning various responses from the others.

“I’ve already manipulated the system, making the employees think that we are very important people that needs to board that plane as soon as possible. We won’t be going through the security, like any normal person would do, but we were given explicit pass to drive to the runway.” Kun explained, looking at his watch.

“Won’t other people see that there’s a car on the runway?” Jongin asked. “Wouldn’t that attract attention?”

“Like Kyungoo-noona said, I control technology. I made something that’s somewhat similar to a cloaking mechanism. It’s the same thing I did with the plane. It’ll be gone once I leave the country.” Kun sighed and looked at everyone. “We need to go. It’s almost nine.”

Jongin and the others raised their masks and lowered their glasses before following Doyoung and Kun towards the lobby. They waited for about five minutes for Kyungsoo and Kun to check out before they were greeted by a car outside the hotel. They were driven to the airport in less than half an hour and the car was escorted towards the runway, where a slick, black plane sat with its engines already roaring.

“Thanks, Daesung-oppa.” Jongin heard Kyungsoo thank the driver right before they went out of the car – it was actually a limousine.

“Wait, Daesung as in Kang Daesung?” Junmyeon asked, lowering her head to look at the driver. Even Junmyeon’s got a lot of contacts.

“Yep. Jiyong and Youngbae talked a lot about you.” Daesung chuckled before he looked at the time. “Stay safe! Jiyong might call to ask if you’re alright.” He called when Jongin and the others hurried to board the plane.

From the top of the stairs leading inside, Jongin saw Chanyeol pulling Kun and Doyoung to the side, as if trying to talk to them. Since Minseok was waiting right behind Jongin, he had to proceed inside without hearing even a bit of the conversation. He sat right beside Sehun, who was fidgeting with his fingers again. Jongin took his fellow maknae’s hand and squeezed, letting Sehun know that he’s there. Soon, the three from outside boarded – Chanyeol talking the seat at the far back while Kun and Doyoung went to the front. Kun talked to the pilot before turning to the others.

“Alright, seeing that you already knew what to do inside a plane, we’re off.” He said right before taking his seat next to Doyoung.

Soon, they were in the air. Jongin didn’t even know where they were going. As long as he’s with his family, he doesn’t care about where they’re going to stay. He just wants to be with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos???
> 
> Suggestions???
> 
> Anything?????


	10. CHANYEOL

Chanyeol couldn’t say that he wasn’t surprised at the reactions he got when he told the others that they were going to have to leave him in Australia. He couldn’t say that he wasn’t exactly expecting the various reactions from them, either. They were all twisting their bodies so they could see him at the back.

“What? Why?” Typical of Junmyeon to ask first.

“We’re not leaving anyone behind.” Sehun, always wanting them all together. Though, Chanyeol understood. Sehun’s counterpart was missing, after all.

“I’m sure he has a reason, guys.” As usual, Yixing tried to be the neutral one.

“We’ll come with you! We can wait. It’s not like you’re staying or long, right?” Jongin, the innocent soul among them. Chanyeol really liked that about him.

“What?!” Baekhyun and Jongdae, always questioning things. “Seriously?” Bakehyun added.

“Guys, calm down.” Minseok always said that.

Chanyeol was expecting this. What he didn’t expect, though, was the emotionless expression on Kyungsoo’s face as she stared at him. It was normal for her to do that, but, when it came to Chanyeol, she was different; Chanyeol prided himself for being the only one – other than Junmyeon and the maknaes – that could change the expression on Kyungsoo’s face.

“Guys, it’s not like I’m going to go away forever.” Chanyeol raised his hands in front of him when he didn’t hear a comment from Kyungsoo. “I’m just going to do something in Australia and I’m going to go back.”

“How? You don’t even have things with you.” Jongin had asked him, looking up at him expectantly. “Unless you stayed in Australia when we split.”

“I’ll ask someone to send additional belongings.” Doyoung called from the front. “Youngho-hyung said that we’ll help you in any way we can. That includes when you’ve made a personal decision.”

Chanyeol really likes Doyoung and Kun. They’re kind of easy to talk to. But, he couldn’t help but think about what’s making Baekhyun not trust Kun. When Chanyeol had talked to them, right before they boarded the plane, to say that he needs them to drop them off at Australia, they were nice and they listened to him intently. Maybe it was just for show, but the way they talked to him was friendly, in a way.

“Plus, we have someone on New Zealand that could watch over him, if you want.” Kun called from his spot next to Doyoung.

“I don’t need watching over.” Chanyeol said firmly.

“Chanyeol.” Junmyeon called softly. Chanyeol sighed.

“Look, I’ll stay there in a couple of months, maybe. I’m just going to do something and then I’ll come right back.” He said, looking at everyone in the eye.

“We’ll be going back to South Korea.” Kyungsoo said from her seat. “We’ll expect you to be back by September. I don’t want to deal with nervous members and a panic-stricken unnie.” She said, tilting her head to the side to see Chanyeol clearer.

“I will, I promise.”

A couple of minutes later, the pilot called from the cockpit, saying that they were going to land in Brisbane international airport. That was perfect for Chanyeol since that’s exactly where he needed to go. They landed on the runway, after getting confirmation from the tower, and Chanyeol was escorted out.

“Call the sole number on this phone when you’re ready to fly to South Korea. The day after the call, you’ll receive instructions as to where and when you should meet.” Doyoung said as he gave Chanyeol a new phone. “Your things will be shipped to the address you told us earlier, before boarding the plane, and it’ll probably arrive by tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Chaneyol bowed a bit, looking at Doyoung and Kun, who were with him at the bottom of the stairs leading inside the plane. The others were still inside, looking at him from the windows. Junmyeon was on top of the stairs with Minseok, her arms were crossed in front of her and she was wearing the worried expression that Chanyeol had seen almost a billion times already. She and Minseok were talking to each other in hushed voices, probably something about Minseok convincing Junmyeon to let Chanyeol go.

“I’ll call.” He mouthed to them since the plane’s engines were still roaring, he knew they couldn’t hear him. Junmyeon nodded and waved at him, seemingly understanding the calling motion Chanyeol made with his hand.

“Keep them safe.” Chanyeol turned to the two in front of him.

“We will.” They both said at the same time. Chanyeol watched them board the plane again. The stairs were wheeled out, the doors were closed and they were off of the runway in minutes. Chanyeol was escorted towards the airport, where he was lead to a car on the other side of the building. As expected from the people from Suh Enterprises, they moved as if they weren’t even there.

“Where to, sir?” the driver of the car asked Chanyeol, who was sitting at the back of the car. Chanyeol was surprised the driver could speak Korean. It’s not that Chanyeol didn’t know how to speak in English, but he felt lighter when he realized that he didn’t need to talk in a different language to communicate.

“Please go to this address.” He said as he gave a piece of paper to the driver, containing an address. The driver nodded and they took off, weaving through the streets of Brisbane. Chanyeol has been there before. It was almost two after their separation when he first found himself in Australia. He came there with one objective: to find his family.

Through the years of being alive, Chanyeol never gave up on finding them. Even when they hadn’t known of their abilities yet, he was looking for them. Jaeyoung knew what Chanyeol was doing when he would ask her about his family. Chanyeol had been the most persistent one among them so Jaeyoung had explained that Chanyeol’s family weren’t in South Korea and that she doesn’t know where they are. Chanyeol believed this. So, when they were separated, he used his time to search almost everywhere to find them. He’s been to China, to Japan, to the United States, to Europe, he even met with Baekhyun a couple of times in Lyon. It was until he finally located them two years later, where he contacted and met with the only living kin he had left.

“Oppa!”

His sister.

“Hey, Chae-yah.” Chanyeol smiled brightly, seeing his little sister sit on the porch stairs while holding her guitar. When she looked up and saw him standing in front of the lawn, she immediately abandoned her guitar – with gentleness, of course – and went to run towards Chanyeol and embracing him tightly.

“Oppa, where were you?” Chaeyoung asked while hugging Chanyeol tight. He hugged her with equal strength, if not more.

“I ran into trouble.” Chanyeol answered, running his hand through her light brown hair.

“Was it the bad guys again?” Chaeyoung asked, looking up at Chanyeol. He nodded, knowing well that Chaeyoung knew about his abilities. He had been reluctant to show her, at first, but then he realized that she was going to find out sooner or later so he just told her. Plus, they promised each other that they wouldn’t keep secrets from each other. He also told her about his purpose, about why he has powers, and about the other guardians. He left Yifan’s and Lu Han’s deaths out since he thought it might’ve been too much for her fifteen-year-old mind. He just told her that they left in order not to be in more trouble than they already were.

“Yeah.” he said, letting go of his sister to walk towards the house.

“I waited for you for two weeks. I thought you were going to leave me alone in here.” Chanyeol stopped in his tracks as he was about to enter through the door. He turned to Chaeyoung, who was already crying, her hands wiping away the tears escaping from her eyes.

Chanyeol’s heart broke. He knew what Chaeyoung meant when she said she though he left. When he found her, two years ago, she was inside an orphanage. She had been fourteen at that time, and Chanyeol had been twenty-two. When he saw her, she didn’t even glance at him. He asked the people who run the orphanage if she had always been that silent and anti-social. They had said that she had been like that since she was dropped off by her aunt. They had asked what was his relation to Chaeyoung and when Chanyeol said that he’s her brother, they hadn’t believed him at first. But, after consenting to a DNA test, they found out that Chanyeol and Chaeyoung were blood relatives; they were siblings.

At first, Chaeyoung refused to talk to him. She was reserved, quiet and she always kept to herself. Chanyeol had bought a small house for two in Brisbane for them and they had been living inside ever since. Unlike the others, among the twelve of them, Junmyeon and Chanyeol were given a bank account by their parents; Jaeyoung explained that when Junmyeon and Chanyeol turned eighteen and twenty, respectively, they were to receive the account that their parents had prepared for them. That’s were his money came from. At some point, both Junmyeon and Chanyeol refused to use the money. Like him, Chaeyoung is to be given the same; when she turns eighteen, she’ll receive an account of her own. The people at the orphanage told him that it was the request of the aunt before she dropped her off. Chanyeol had tried tracing the accounts back to their parents but like Junmyeon, they came up with nothing. They don’t even know if their parents are alive.

After almost two months of living together, Chanyeol had bought a guitar for Chaeyoung since she had been eying his own guitar the moment he let it out of its case. He taught her how to play and they often created songs together. That was when Chaeyoung started to open up to him. It turned out that their aunt had told her to wait for her when she dropped her off. Chaeyoung had waited and waited for years and it took her three years, after being dropped off, to realize that her aunt wasn’t coming back. Another three years passed and that was when Chanyeol found her.

So, when Chanyeol left Chaeyoung alone to look for Kyungsoo – who was in Colorado – and came back after two weeks of no contact with her sister, Chanyeol knew what Chaeyoung was thinking.

She thought he left her, too, like their aunt.

“After I saw the news about the major fire that happened in Arizona, I knew you were there. You didn’t call or even tried to contact me, so I thought-,”

“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Chanyeol cut her off by hugging her again. “That’s why I came back as soon as I could; because I knew you were waiting for me.” they stayed like that until Chaeyoung calmed down. They went inside and had breakfast, talking about what Chaeyoung did during the time that he was gone.

“Did you meet your friends?” Chaeyoung asked him that night, when they were done eating dinner.

“Yeah, but not in the most ideal way.” Chanyeol said, looking at his phone. Junmyeon had texted him that they had already landed in Incheon. Chanyeol told her to stay safe along with the others. Junmyeon texted the same thing to him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, oppa.” Chaeyoung called from the kitchen. Chanyeol hummed for her to continue. “How did you end up in Arizona? I thought you said you were going to Colorado?” Chanyeol stopped and furrowed his brows.

“I – I don’t know.”

Chaeyoung made a confused noise from the kitchen before she continued to wash the dishes. Chanyeol leaned over to place his elbows on his knees, thinking deeply. She was right; he told her that he was going to Colorado to meet Kyungsoo (Baekhyun told him where she was) but he ended up getting caught in Arizona. He couldn’t even remember _how_ he was caught. He remembered that he boarded the plane bound to Denver but then, he woke up in the same room where Sehun and Kyungsoo were. He hadn’t even known that he was in Arizona before he got there. He just got the story from Baekhyun, when he told him about the fire that he supposedly made.

Except, he couldn’t remember causing it.

Maybe something was wrong with his memories, Chanyeol thought. Something like that never happened before. Heck, he didn’t even know _why_ he wanted to talk to Kyungsoo.

“Oppa?”

Chanyeol snapped from his trance, looking at his sister. She was standing in front of him, her head tilted to the side.

“Your phone’s been ringing for the past two minutes now.” She pointed at the phone Chanyeol was clutching tightly in his hands.

“Ohh. Sorry about that.” he said and looked at the caller I.D. “It’s one of my friends. I better answer it.”

“Okay.” Chaeyoung nodded in understanding before going up to her room, leaving Chanyeol to answer the call coming from Junmyeon.

“Hey, noona. Sorry, I was doing something.” He lied, placing the phone next to his ear.

“It’s alright.” Junmyeon answered. “I’m just calling to tell you where we’ll be staying.”

“Oh, okay.” Chanyeol answered.

“You know that house that Jae-eomma took us to when we were young?”

“Which house?”

“The large one; bigger than our old house.”

“The one in Gwangju?”

“Yeah. Well, it turns out, that house was bought by Seo Youngho, the guy we met during the call. He’s letting us stay in it since going back to our old house would make us easily traceable.”

“Being in South Korea makes us traceable.”

“I know.” Junmyeon sighed. “But at least being in South Korea means we’re near to the tree. Remember, our original objective is to protect the tree, not abandon it. That was why I objected in the separation in the first place, remember?”

“I know, I know.” Chanyeol answered, leaning back against the couch.

“So, where are you?” Sehun’s voice came through the speaker.

“Like I said before: in Brisbane.”

“Why?”

“I’ll let you know when I come back.”

“Okay, then.” Sehun didn’t sound convinced, but he dropped the topic off. They talked for another thirty minutes before Chanyeol had to hang up. He was planning on introducing Chaeyoung to them when they go to South Korea together. He was planning on buying a house there, too, so that she could visit him when she’s legally allowed to travel on her own. Chanyeol wasn’t planning for his sister to stay permanently in South Korea because of the dangers of her being near the tree. Heck, even being near Chanyeol would put her in danger.

“I’m going to be fine.” Chaeyoung had said to him when he proposed that idea to her months before he was _supposed_ to go to Colorado.

“Let’s just cross the bridge when we get there.” Chanyeol answered.

“Come on. I won’t run into trouble, I promise.”

Chanyeol abruptly stopped cutting potatoes, shocking Chaeyoung.

_“I’ll be okay, Chanyeol. I’m not going to run into trouble.”_

Those had been Yifan’s last words to him. It was the reason why Chanyeol put into a lot of thought whether he should tell the others about his sister or not; because Yifan had said the same thing and Chaneyol was scared to lose Chaeyoung after he had just found her.

Chanyeol misses Yifan a lot. He hadn’t been there when he died – Sehun was and Chanyeol doesn’t know if he felt sorry for the maknae or if he was _slightly_ happy that it wasn’t Chanyeol that found Yifan – but he felt everything. The pain was so unbearable that Chanyeol though he was going to die too. But he didn’t; he lived and Yifan didn’t. He couldn’t remember what he had done that day, when he felt his counterpart’s pain. Though, he was sure that he burned down a section of the maze. He released so much energy that they had to pull him out in order not to destroy the whole maze and everything and kill everyone in it.

He was kept in a fireproof room that night – he doesn’t know how he got there but he knows if something is fireproof or not. He spent his time curling at the corner of the room, trying to grasp the invisible line that was connecting him and Yifan, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t hold it. He couldn’t even feel it. That’s when he realized that his counterpart was truly gone. The others tried to console him, yet, they all didn’t know what he was going though since he was the first to lose a partner. Jongin was next, after losing Lu Han. They both felt the same when they lost their counterparts; the agony, the pain, the sorrow. They were the same.

His dark, red hair is a reminder of that day. It turned red and it changed hues, every now and then – it sometimes turned pink when he was calm and happy or fiery red when he’s angry. It hadn’t turned back to its original dark brown color. He thought of dying it to brown and grey, back then, and it was useless since his hair grew and went back to red. Sometimes, he thinks his hair is mocking him.

Chanyeol shook his head. He didn’t want to remember anything else related to his counterpart’s death. So he buried all the memories he had with him at the back of his mind. He’s been known to do that – always burying things he doesn’t want or he doesn’t understand. He just doesn’t want pondering on a topic that much.

The thoughts that were going through his head was exhausting Chanyeol even more than he already was. He hadn’t slept in more than twenty-four hours. He passed out on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of errors in the previews chapters... I'm not entirely sure if this has less errors than the others.
> 
> I'll get back to edit them when I'm done with the book.
> 
> Please bear with me hehehe English isn't my native language, as you can tell.
> 
> Bye!


	11. JUNMYEON

When asked about her family, only one answer comes to Junmyeon’s mind: Jaeyoung and the twelve of them. That’s it. When asked about her blood relatives, Junmyeon says that she has none.

In a very young age, Junmyeon was convinced that they didn’t have any blood relatives left after being put in the care of Jaeyoung. Except for Jongdae and Jongin, none of them knew anything about their original families. Especially Junmyeon.

Because out of the twelve of them, she was the only one that was born and raised in Jaeyoung’s care.

The others were born in their own homes and was put under Jaeyoung’s care after they had reached the age of one – far too young to remember anything. For Jongdae and Jongin’s case, they were given to Jaeyoung at the same time; Jongdae was three while Jongin was one – Jongdae remembers a bit about their parents but being a three-year-old at that time, his mind could only remember so much. All the others were the same, except for Junmyeon. Jaeyoung had picked her up from the hospital and named her. Since her name was “Kim Jaeyoung”, she gave the same last name to her and named her “Kim Junmyeon”. Up to this day, Junmyeon still doesn’t know what her real name is.

Junmyeon’s real parents had given her an account when she had turned eighteen. It was named under “Kim Junmyeon” and not her real name – that must mean something, Junmyeon thought, and maybe, just maybe, her parents were still alive. Junmyeon had tried tracing the account back to who made it, in hopes of finding her parents, but like Chanyeol – who was given the same – she came back fruitless. She refused to use the money for herself. Instead, she used it for Sehun and Jongin’s university funds – not that they know that.

That was the reason why when asked about her family, Junmyeon only says Jaeyoung and the others. No one else.

After acknowledging that they are her only family, Junmyeon had given up the search for her parents and her siblings. She knows the others are still searching. She doesn’t know if they found them or not. All she knows that she’ll never find hers.

Because they weren’t lost in the first place. They are here, in front of her.

“What’s with that look, noona?” Baekhyun tilted his head to the side as he looked at Junmyeon from the very spacious land of the backyard.

Junmyeon smiled. “It’s nothing. I just like watching you guys.” She laughed when Baekhyun huffed and told her that she was becoming old and that she was finally acting like it.

“If she’s becoming old, then what does that make Minseok-hyung?” Sehun asked, pointing at Junmyeon’s counterpart – who was sitting on one of the benches near the corner while reading a book.

“He’s a grandpa!” Jongdae teased, earning a hiss from Minseok and that’s how Junmyeon’s peaceful day turned into another day of disciplining everyone. She was glad Yixing was there with her under the shade provided by the large tree in their backyard. If he had not been there, Junmyeon might’ve bolted out the steel back gate leading to the forest. She leaned back against the tree, enjoying her day.

“NOONA!!”

Junmyeon snapped from her relaxed state at the sound of Jongin’s loud, distressed voice calling for her.

“Jongin?!” She and Jongdae shouted at the same time as they rushed towards the backdoor of the house. When they got there, with the sound of hurried footsteps behind them, what they saw was something they haven’t really expected.

There was a kid standing in their patio. There was another kid behind him, slightly shorter than the one in front but both of them has the same dark hair and brown eyes. Both of them looked like they were around thirteen-years-old and judging by their height of being right above Sehun’s lower half, they were probably a bit older. They were staring up at Sehun and Jongin with wide, curious eyes (they had to tip their head up high to actually see Sehun and Jongin).

“Who are you?” the kid in front asked, pointing at Sehun.

“Uhmmm.” Sehun looked around, looking for someone to help him. He moved so that the kids were exposed to the view of everyone from behind Junmyeon.

“Noona!!!” the two boys screamed loudly when they looked inside. Junmyeon saw them grinning widely at Kyungsoo, who was at the very back of the crowd.

“Xuxi?! Guan Heng?!” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened as the two boys squeezed their way towards the girl at the back. They wrapped their arms around her waist and squeezed hard; hard enough for Junmyeon to see Kyungsoo struggling to stand. Kyungsoo led them towards the couch and ushered them to sit down.

“You know them?” Baekhyun asked, eyes filled with confusion.

“Yeah, kind of.” Kyungsoo answered as she knelt down on the floor, looking at the boys with worried eyes.

“Why are you here? Are you alone?” she asked, earning a “no” from the boys. Junmyeon knelt down beside Kyungsoo and looked at the boys as well.

“Where’s your companion?” she asked, putting a light hand on top of the shorter boy’s shoulder.

“We kind of lost her when we ran here.” The shorter boys said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“’Her’?” Kyungsoo raised a brow. “Do you mean Taeyong?” the two boys enthusiastically nodded.

“She was talking to a guy on the highway.” The shorter boys said.

“Yeah! She was taking super long so we snuck out from the back and ran here!” the taller one said, extending his arms to emphasize his point.

“The highway?! That’s far from here.” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened even more. “You really shouldn’t runaway from Taeyong like that. You know what she’s like when she’s taking care of you.”

The two boys lowered their heads in embarrassment. Junmyeon sighed and looked at Kyungsoo, who was looking at the boys with soft eyes. She turned to the two boys and sighed, standing up.

“Does this Taeyong person know where this place is?” Junmyeon asked Kyungsoo in a hushed tone.

“I think they were on their way here.” Kyungsoo answered while standing. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t run all the way here from the highway.”

“You know their guardian, right?” Kyungsoo nodded. “Can’t you call her?”

“Her number isn’t on the phone Doyoung gave. I think that’s the reason she drove all the way here. I could ask Doyoung for it but with their lne of work, I’ll probably receive a reply at the end of the day.”

Junmyeon sighed again and ruffled the boys’ hair. “Let’s go outside, okay? Maybe she’ll see you.” She said to the boys with a smile. The shorter boy took her hand while the taller boy took Kyungoo’s and they all walked outside and into the front lawn – the others still confused as who the boys are.

A little while after sitting on the grass, a car pulled up right in front of the gate and the two boys immediately stood up when they saw a girl stepping out of the car. She looked a bit distressed and it made her look even more aged than her probable age of twenty. She reminded Junmyeon of someone but she couldn’t put her finger on who it was exactly.

“Xuxi! Guan Heng!” the girl yelled, kneeling on the ground to catch the two running boys in her arms.

“I see you had a bit of trouble there, Taeyong.” Kyungsoo said as she stood up, dusting herself off, and walked towards the girl still holding the two boys in her arms.

“You have no idea, unnie.” The girl looked up at Kyungsoo and when she saw Junmyeon and the others staring at her, she immediately picked herself up and bowed.

“I’m sorry for whatever mess they’ve made.” She said, still keeping her head down.

“It’s fine. They didn’t do anything.” Junmyeon said, walking closer to Kyungsoo.

“I think I’m not the only one who needs an explanation here.” Baekhyun piped from behind Junmyeon. The girl immediately bowed again after just raising her head.

“I’m Lee Taeyong. Sorry again.” She said, raising her head.

“Kim Junmyeon.” Junmeyon said, offering a hand. Taeyong shook it after a second of hesitating. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you all.” Taeyong said, looking around. She was a bit nervous; Junmyeon could tell. “Everything feels so different from what you’ve told me, unnie.” She turned to Kyungsoo, who shrugged.

“Just wait until they use their abilities. That’s when you know what’s different.” Kyungsoo answered.

“Wait, they know too?” Junmyeon asked, pointing at the two boys and Taeyong.

“Of course. I work with Johnny, after all.” Taeyong said, lightly pushing the boys towards Junmyeon. “Come on. They’re friends. Tell them your names.”

The taller one stepped up and waved at them. “Hi, I’m Huang Yukhei! Also Huang Xuxi. You can also call me Lucas, too! Or any of my three names!”

The shorter one stepped beside Yukhei. “I’m Huang Guan Heng! You can call me Hendery! Xuxi and I are twins but we don’t look alike! I don’t know why.”

“And there’s one more of us!” Yukhei said enthusiastically. “Injunnie is in the car!”

“Oh my god!” Taeyong turned back and opened the backdoor of the car. The boy inside looked at Taeyong as if she hurt him.

“You are mean!” the boy, barely looking two years younger than the other two, pointed at Taeyong.

“I’m sorry, Injunnie.” Taeyong said as she hugged the boy, who instantly hugged back.

“It’s okay.” The boy said as he let go, turning to the others. “Hi, I’m Huang Ren Jun.” he said. “I heard your conversation from the car. I didn’t mean to.”

“That’s alright, Injunnie.” Taeyong ruffled the smaller boy’s dark hair.

“They’re Zitao’s family.” Kyungsoo explained when the others had matching confused expressions on their faces. “They’re his sister’s kids. She passed away a little after Ren Jun was born.”

“What?” Sehun gaped, looking at the three boys in front of them. Junmeyon expected him to have that reaction.

“Xuxi, Guan Heng, why don’t you take Ren Jun and go with Kyungsoo-noona to the backyeard while I talk to her friends, okay?” Taeyong slightly bent down to meet Yukhei’s eyes. The boy immediately nodded and grabbed his brothers’ hands and followed Kyungsoo inside the house.

“Sehun and Jongin.” Junmyeon called over her shoulder. “Go follow them.”

“But-,”

“Jongin, take Sehun and follow them.” Junmyeon repeated, this time, a bit sterner. The two maknaes reluctantly turned on their heels and went to follow Kyungsoo and the kids, Jongin holding Sehun’s hand.

“So, what does your visit have to do with our missing member?” Minseok asked, stepping to stand beside Junmyeon.

“Why don’t we sit inside? It’s quite a long story.”

Junmyeon was slowly losing her mind.

Their talk with Taeyong made her mind go round and round. Apparently, Taeyong has been running a house for homeless kids along with a friend of her brother, and had told them that Zitao had come to them after finding out that Taeyong was housing his nephews – his sister’s kids. The reason why Kyungsoo knows Taeyong is because they are mutual friends with Johnny – Johnny and Taeyong are childhood friends and Johnny helps her with the funding of the house. Zitao had visited them a lot of times for the past four years but then one day, in March, three months before they were caught, Zitao mysteriously stopped coming by to visit. It wasn’t like him to do that, Taeyong said, and he always visits at the sixteenth of every month, giving out presents to the kids there. That was why she came to their house in Gwangju in the first place; to ask if they had heard from him. She came out empty because Junmyeon and the others also didn’t know anything about his mysterious disappearance.

It’s been a month since they’ve been sent back to South Korea. A month since they’ve left Chanyeol in Australia for god knows what. A month since everything happened. A month since the last eclipse. A month since she first started to contact Zitao. Almost four months since Zitao last contacted Taeyong and his family.

Almost four and a half years since she last heard from their eternal maknae.

Junmyeon and Minseok had tried contacting Zitao ever since they got to Gwangju and so far, he still hasn’t answered. Kun had tried tracking him down with his ability but until the present time, he still doesn’t have any clue where he is. Sehun was so anxious that he started waiting outside the house every morning, waiting for Zitao to show up. Junmyeon, who has built up anxiety over the safety of her members throughout the years, was actually beginning to think that maybe Sehun was right.

Maybe Zitao really is dead.

She had been sitting on her bed, facing the door, while thinking of her conversation with Sehun the month before, when Minseok had barged into her room almost immediately when she had thought about Sehun’s words being true. Her counterpart had slapped her so hard that the other members had felt it too – it was a connection she had on with the others as their leader. Chanyeol had called her after that, asking why does he feel like he was slapped by ice on the cheek.

Technically, the connection Junmyeon has with the other members were one sided – they could feel her pain but Junmyeon has control over what they could feel. She has the ability to turn the connection on and off at will. She usually keeps it under control and she doesn’t let the others feel her pain. It was at times like these – when she, herself, is unstable – when the connection breaks lose by itself and lets the others know what she was feeling. They know about this connection, of course. It was like their connection to their counterparts but the thin wire of line that connects them to Junmyeon is fragile; Junmyeon needs to be strong to not let the connection break and to not let the others feel anything.

So, when the others ran up to her room in a flurry of footsteps and when her phone vibrated so much that it left the bed and landed on the floor, Junmyeon knew that it was one of those times that they’ve felt the pain inflicted on her which, in this case, is the pain of Minseok slapping her in the cheek with his ice cold hands. Thank god it was only Minseok that heard what Junmyeon was thinking because if her connection with the others was similar to her connection with Minseok, they might’ve heard everything. The others didn’t know that Junmyeon and Minseok were having a heated conversation in their minds. That’s why they were just staring at each other; Minseok was glaring at her, while Junmyeon was just blankly staring up at her counterpart.

_“Have you lost your mind?!”_

_“……. I think I forgot it in Marseilles.”_

_“Are you even hearing yourself talk?!”_

_“No.”_

Junmyeon watched Minseok growl and scream out in frustration. She saw the others flinch at the sight of Minseok getting angry because it never, _never_ happened before. This was their first time seeing their eldest frustrated.

For Junmyeon, it was already her millionth time.

“Uhmm.” Yixing and Baekhyun said at the same time. Out of the six others, the two of them were the only ones inside Junmyeon’s room; the other four remained in the hallway. They cautiously took a step back when Minseok turned to them, his eyes narrowed into thin slits as he growled. Their eldest turned back to Junmyeon. They continued their staring contest.

_“What have I told you about not burying yourself in your problems, Junmyeon?”_

Junmyeon didn’t even pay attention at the use of her real name instead of the nickname Minseok always uses on her. She didn’t answer her counterpart, causing him to pinch the bridge of his nose and let out a seething sigh. Instead, Junmyeon turned to look at the others, who were on the border of confused, curious and terrified. As Minseok was trying his hardest to calm down, Junmyeon was back to blankly staring at that one specific spot on the floor of her room. It was silent, probably the most silent minute of Junmyeon’s life.

 _“Junmyeon.”_ She turned to face her counterpart, who was facing the wall. His forehead was on his right arm, which was resting on the wall, while his left hand was on his hip.

_“Do you really think he’s gone?”_

Gone.

Minseok used the word “gone”. Junmyeon knew he didn’t want to use the word “dead”. She knew why he was acting like this. It was because the people he had been closest to – aside from Junmyeon – were slowly getting ripped away from him. First, Yifan, then Lu Han, and now, Zitao. Since they were born in the same year, Minseok, Yifan and Lu Han were naturally close, and since Zitao is their baby, Minseok cared for him a lot – Junmyeon, too. Junmyeon understood Minseok. She is his counterpart, after all.

No, she’s more than his counterpart.

_“Myeon.”_

Minseok’s voice cracked in their mental link. That was enough for Junmyeon to snap out from her trance and back into reality.

Immediately, she stood from her bed and rushed towards Minseok, hugging him from the back and resting her forehead on his broad shoulder. He was naturally cold but Junmyeon got used to this temperatire a long time ago. Minseok’s slightly taller form quivered as she felt cool liquid fall on her arms. That’s when she realized her counterpart was crying, he was silent, but he was really crying. This was another first for the others.

Not for Junmyeon.

She’s seen this a million times before.

Minseok saw her cry her eyes out twice as many times.

 _“I’m sorry.”_ She said in their mental link, tightening her hold on her counterpart. _“I’m sorry for everything.”_

Minseok said nothing. Junmyeon was feeling the emotions coming from the members. She could feel the pain, the sadness, the tears threatening to fall. At that point, Junmyeon, herself, was crying. She had maneuvered herself to make their positions switch from Junmyeon hugging Minseok’s back to her hugging him from the front, making her counterpart wrap his hands around her shoulders and they buried their faces on each other’s necks.

Then both of them felt someone wrap their arms around them.

Both looked up, cheeks stained with tears, and saw Sehun wrapping his arms around them from the right side. Soon, Jongin followed, wrapping his arms around them from the left. A little while later, all six of the others were embracing Junmyeon and Minseok, who never released each other’s hold. Junmyeon could feel all of their mixed emotions. There was so many that she didn’t even know who the specific set of emotions belonged to. She just knows that they were all comforted, in a way.

She was comforted by the love she felt, too.

At some point, Junmyeon fell asleep in Minseok’s arms and she had to be carried to her bed by her counterpart. She knew the others never left her side even when she was unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Predictable????
> 
> Maybe??


	12. YOUNGHO

For the whole of his lifetime, Johnny has been known to never do nothing or to just sit on his ass, waiting for the servants to bring him everything he needs, instead of just getting everything himself. He’s never like that. His father told him his time will eventually come and that was the time he’s going to do everything he couldn’t when he was young. Johnny understood what his dad meant, so, he just waited and waited.

During his waiting period, he stayed at the Seo Mansion in Chicago until he turned ten. That’s when he was shipped off to Daejeon to follow his dad, who was staying in South Korea at that time.

 _“Why are we here, dad?”_ he asked when they landed at the airport.

 _“Dad needs to go to work here, John.”_ His dad replied. _“I’ll show what I’ve been working on when you grow older.”_

_“Okay.”_

During his time in Daejeon, he met a lot of people. There’s Taeyong, who lived next door to him. There’s Taeil, the one who’s always reading a book in the park. There’s also Yuta, a Japanese student sent to South Korea to study in the school Johnny goes to. They got along very well since he, Taeyong and Yuta are in the same age and the same class, and because Taeil is only a year older than them, they always played together.

Johnny knew he was meant to do more things than just to play and make friends. He finally accepted this fact when one day, his dad came home after a week of being overseas for a meeting, catching Johnny studying for his finals. Since he’s the son of the most powerful man in the west, he took special classes and got ahead of everyone. By the time he was already on his final year in college, Taeyong, Yuta and Taeil were still in their final years in high school – They still remained friends, either way. Johnny was seventeen at that time.

“Wait, I thought you were still going to be in Chicago for two weeks?” Johnny asked his dad in Korean when the older came home.

“I was supposed to but I canceled the meeting in the last minute.” His dad answered, sitting on the couch, opposite of the couch Johnny was stationed.

“What?” Johnny said, a little too loudly. “You can cancel a worldwide meeting?” he asked, genuinely having no clue.

“I just did and now you know you can, but that doesn’t mean you cancel every meeting you don’t want to attend, John.” His dad replied, looking at Johnny. Johnny chuckled before asking why his dad went back early.

“I finally found them. Finally, after god knows how long. I finally found them.” His dad replied.

“Who? The guardians?” when his dad nodded, Johnny put his book down and putting the whole of his attention to him.

He knows about the story of the Twelve Guardians and the Tree of Life. He knows that it’s real and that it wasn’t just a mere story in a children’s book – even though it’s rarely seen in children’s books. His grandfather had told him stories about how he met the guardians when he was a child. They told him how his family would be able to help change the world. They had told him the location of the Tree of Life and who the next generation of the Twelve Guardians were. That’s why when Johnny’s grandfather grew and took over the family company, he made sure that he would help the others in any way possible. He passed down that trait to his son and his on passed it down to Johnny.

“The tree is here, John. It’s in Jeju island.” His dad had said. “But the guardians aren’t.”

“Wait, they’re not here? Does that mean the guardians are separated?”

“Yes, but, I finally found one of them.”

“Who?”

“The earth bearer.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Johnny stood, trying to process everything. “Kyungsoo, as in _the_ Do Kyungsoo. You found her?”

“Yes, I did. She’s in Colorado. I think the others are spread around the world. Finally, I can tell Jihyun that I’ve found her daughter.”

It was a step, Johnny thought, a step closer to the end of his waiting period. He never knew a step was all he needs. He continued to wait.

He waited for twenty years; when his dad passed away and left the company and all his family’s secrets with him. The first thing he did was to help.

Johnny knew the consequences of being in contact with Kyungsoo. He knew what it could do to his family’s company. He knows what will happen if the world finds out about the secrets they’ve been keeping from them. Of course he did; his dad and his grandfather told him what would happen.

But that didn’t stop the three of them from helping.

So, when Jaehyun, his closest friend – aside from Taeyong and the other two – came to him inside his office with a letter addressed to him in his hands, Johnny knew that his time had come and he was finally able to do something. Four years after formally meeting Kyungsoo, Johnny was able to help her when they got caught under an eclipse.

“You know, thinking so hard like that makes you look like your father.”

Johnny looked at Yuta, who was sitting beside him on the driver’s seat. “Does that mean I have wrinkles?” he asked, looking at his features on the mirror.

“Yes. Makes you old.”

“Excuse you, I’m only twenty-one. You do know that we’re the same age, right?”

“You’re still older by, like, eight months. That’s a major difference.”

Johnny sighed, knowing that if he keeps up the argument, Yuta’s eventually going to get angry at him. Instead, he just looked out the window, enjoying the scenic route of Daejeon.

“What are you even thinking about? We’re here to visit Taeyong and the kids.” Yuta said, keeping his eyes on the road.

“I’m not thinking about anything.” Johnny replied. Technically, it wasn’t a lie but he knows Yuta is going to press, anyway.

“Is it about Kyungsoo-noona and the others?” Yuta asked after a minute of silence between them. Johnny sighed.

_“’re we there yet?”_

Johnny twisted his body to look at the backseat of the car. The bundle of Mark at the back seat was finally waking up after sleeping for the whole of the trip from the airport. Johnny had to practically drag him around since he wouldn’t wake up from his slumber.

 _“Not yet, seagull.”_ Johnny answered in English. Mark succumbed back to sleep right after that, too sleepy to even notice the nickname Johnny called him with.

“That kid sleeps more than an average child would.” Yuta said when Johnny turned back to face the front.

“Keep in mind that he already turned fifteen two weeks ago.”

“He doesn’t look or act fifteen.”

“Keep that up and he’ll punch you when he wakes up.”

“Whatever, he’s still nine.”

They pulled on the curb a few minutes after that and they were greeted by the sight of the large house that Johnny grew to miss. It was his old house; the one he used to stay in when his dad took him to South Korea. The one next to Taeyong’s and Taeil’s houses. The one Yuta always goes to when they have a study session even when he lived across town.

The same house that’s housing Taeyong’s unlimited children.

“Hyung!! Look, guys, it’s Johnny-hyung!” one of the kids – one of the younger ones – Jeno, shouted when he saw Johnny walk through the silver gates (Yuta would’ve parked inside but they were only going to drop Mark off and then they were off to go to Gwangju).

“Mark-hyung!!” Johnny watched Donghyuck, Jeno’s twin, tackle Mark to the ground as soon as the older boy walked into his vision. “I missed you!!”

“I – I missed you too, Hyuck.” Mark said in a struggled manner since Donghyuck was strangling him. Johnny chuckled and told Yuta that he’ll be right back after talking to Taeyong, who was probably inside. He wasn’t shocked to see her running around to catch Chenle and Jisung, the maknaes of the large family, around the living room.

“Come on, Lele, please?” Taeyong panted as she struggled to catch her breath.

“No, I don’t want to! Right, Jisung?” The three-year-old in Chenle’s nine-year-old arms nodded enthusiastically as he stuck her tongue out to Taeyong. Chenle ran and bumped into Johnny when the kid wasn’t looking where he was going.

“Whoa, what’s going on here?” Johnny said as he caught the two maknaes in his arms. “You know; you shouldn’t be running around with Jisung in your arms like that. Both of you could get hurt.” He said as he pulled the toddler out of Chenle’s arms.

“I’m sorry.” Chenle apologized while looking down on the floor, fidgeting with his small hands.

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again, alright?” Johnny smiled when Chenle nodded almost immediately. “Now, say sorry to Taeyong-noona.” The child turned around, looking up at Taeyong, who was standing behind him with a towel on her arms.

“I’m sorry, noona.” The child cried, clinging to Taeyong’s waist and squeezing hard.

“It’s alright. Now, go take a bath. Jungwoo-hyung’s waiting for you.” Almost immediately, Chenle took the towel in Taeyong’s arms and went to go to the baths upstairs. Johnny stood up with a sleeping Jisung in his arms. The toddler must’ve been tired after being carried around by Chenle.

“All that because he didn’t want to take a bath?” Johnny asked Taeyong as he carefully passed Jisung in her arms. The toddler squirmed, waking up.

“Yeah. You how kids are these days.” She replied, lulling Jisung back to sleep. “Anyway, sorry I wasn’t able to meet you outside. Jinki-oppa’s at the hospital due to an urgent call early this morning and I had to give Chenle a bath.”

“No worries. The kids were enough to meet us. Though, I think Mark’s getting crushed under Donghyuck again.” They both chuckled.

“Well, to be fair, Hyuck and Jeno haven’t seen their cousin since Christmas.” Taeyong said.

“You talk like Mark’s not your cousin too.” Johnny replied.

“You two act and talk like an old married couple.”

Johnny and Taeyong looked at the door and saw Yuta leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. “Holding Jisung in between you doesn’t help erase that thought out of my mind at all.”

Johnny laughed softly in order not to wake Jisung up. “ _You_ talk like you haven’t been with us for half our life.”

“Shut up.” Yuta sneered but both Johnny and Taeyong knew that it was a playful sneer. “Anyway, Jaehyun called.”

“And?” Johnny asked, walking towards his friend.

“Park Chanyeol just requested urgent extraction.”

Johnny stilled. Kyungsoo and Doyoung had said that he requested his return to be on September, a month from now. It didn’t make sense at all since from what Doyoung said, Chanyeol wanted to stay for three months in Australia. It shouldn’t really bother him at all but Chanyeol seemed adamant on leaving at September.

“Did he say why?” Johnny asked Yuta, who was holding his phone in his hand.

“No. Jaehyun said that he was frantic about it; like he wanted to get out as soon as possible. Jaehyun contacted Doyoung and they’re on their way from Chicago to Brisbane right now.” Yuta answered. “If you ask me, I think something _made_ him to go back with the others.”

“Wait, he said that he wants to go to the others?”

“Like I said: he wanted immediate extraction from Brisbane to Gwangju – that’s where the others are, right? He didn’t even want to wait until tomorrow. He practically _begged_ Jaehyun to get him out of there by this afternoon.”

Johnny hummed, brows creasing together in thought. “Whatever the reason is, he wants to get back with the others as soon as possible. Something might’ve happened.” He said, still in thought.

“I think we better go. If we leave now, we’ll arrive in Gwangju even before the sun sets. I think Doyoung still hasn’t contacted them. He does know that you’re here so he might’ve thought that you’ll tell them personally.” Yuta said and walked out the door, already pressing the start button on the car control he has in his hands.

“You were on your way to meet them, right?” Taeyong asked, lightly touching Johnny’s arm.

“Technically, I was going to Gwangju for a business meeting. We just stopped over to visit and to drop Mark off since he’ll have no one to stay with if he’s at Chicago because Jaehyun and Taeil-hyung would be going to London tomorrow. I guess Jae’s meeting is going to be headed by Taeil-hyung now.” Johnny replied, looking at Taeyong.

“When are you going to Germany?” he asked.

“Kun’s already there. He picked him up.” she replied. Taeyong gave Johnny a smile.

“So _that’s_ where he went.”

“I still can’t believe you don’t know where your own employees go to.”

“In my defense, you were the one who ordered him to go so….”

“Alright, alright. Now, go, before Yuta tries to honk the horn and startle the kids.” Taeyong lightly pushed him outside. Johnny smiled and went out the door, saying goodbye to the kids – Chenle and Jungwoo, the oldest of the children there, had come down just to say goodbye to Johnny and Yuta.

“Bye, John-hyung and Yuta-hyung!” Mark yelled as he waved at Johnny and Yuta. They both waved back and they both took off, Yuta driving them off to Gwangju.

“I never really expected you to see us in person.”

“Noona, you hurt me.”

“I can physically throw you to the backyard, Johnny.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I’d gladly would.”

“Excuse me, but I’m kind of getting tired being in the dark here, which is ironic since I’m the full definition of light.”

Johnny and Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun, who was standing there with his arms crossed in front of him. The others were sitting around the living room, looking up at Johnny and Kyungsoo, occasionally at Yuta.

“Youngho, if you keep this up, you’ll be late for your meeting.” Yuta piped from the door. He still hasn’t moved from his spot when they got there almost half an hour ago.

“Oh, right.” Johnny said sheepishly. He turned to everyone. “I’m just here to say that your friend, Chanyeol-ssi, has requested extraction from Brisbane about….”

“Six hours ago.”

“Six hours ago. Thanks Yuta. Doyoung and Jaehyun, a person you are yet to meet, are on their way to Brisbane right now.”

“I think they’re already there; Jaehyun texted.” Yuta said.

“That takes them about an hour and a half to get here.” Johnny looked at his watch and saw that it was the exact time he needed to get to his meeting venue.

“Wait, doesn’t it take, like, six to seven hours to get from Australia to here?” the maknae, Sehun, asked as he looked at their leader. “It’s impossible to fly towards South Korea in only an hour and a half.”

“He said immediate extraction. We gave him immediate extraction.” Johnny saw Yuta shrug as he texted, probably to Jaehyun, on his phone.

“Just who are you?” Baekyun asked, eyeing Johnny and Yuta with narrow, judging eyes.

“Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo growled, making Baekhyun step back a little but he still glared at Johnny.

“Look, you know who we are. You’ve seen what we can do.” Johnny said, raising his hands up in front of him in surrender.

“Do you have abilities too?” Jongin, the teleporter, asked, standing next to their maknae.

“Actually, I don’t.” Johnny said, looking at them in the eyes. “But Yuta does.”

“I’m the reason your friend will be here in less than two hours.” Yuta said, scoffing. “I made the plane that they’re taking to get here.”

“So, you, like, make stuff?” Junmyeon asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“I make things with an engine. That’s my ability. Cars, planes, automobiles, you name it.” Yuta sighed and went to pull Johnny out the door. “Come one, you’re going to be late! I don’t want to be lectured by Kibum-hyung if you turn up disheveled from running.”

“Key-hyung’s not like that.”

“That’s because you never pay attention when he’s scolding you!”

“But I do pay attention!”

“If we don’t leave now, I’m going back to Daejeon.”

“Then go. I can drive, you know.”

“With the car.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I _will_ leave you here with no car, Youngho.”

Johnny sighed and straightened himself, gesturing Yuta to start the car while he says goodbye. “I know you still don’t trust us in any way.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

“Quiet, Baekhyun.”

“Sorry, Minseok-hyung.”

“But please try to reconsider things.” Johnny said and bowed. “It’s nice knowing you all and good night.” he straightened himself and turned around, walking outside the door.

“Wait, Johnny.” Kyungsoo caught his arm right before he stepped down from the patio. Johnny turned around and looked at the older.

“Sorry for this. You’re helping us but you’re the one getting all the bad treatment.” She said, squeezing Johnny’s arm a bit.

“It’s alright, noona.” Johnny took her hand in his. “I promised you, four years ago, that I’ll help you no matter what. I’m not planning on breaking that promise for as long as I live.”

“Still, I’m sorry. I couldn’t do anything for you and you’re doing everything for us.”

“Like I said: It’s alright.”

“Youngho!”

Johnny waved at Yuta, who was standing impatiently outside the gate, the car’s engine was already roaring behind him. He turned back to Kyungsoo. “I better go.” the older nodded. Johnny jogged towards Yuta and entered the car. He turned to the house and saw Kyungsoo was still standing where he left her. Johnny gave one last wave before Yuta drove towards the venue of his meeting. They drove in undisturbed silence for ten minutes before Yuta spoke.

“Why did you say what you said? Earlier, at the house?”

“I think they’re better off not knowing anything. Even Kyungsoo-noona.”

“..… Whatever you say, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's starting to get interesting, hmmmm??


	13. MINSEOK

Minseok would be lying if he said that he wasn’t happy to see Chanyeol again. Though, he never expected him to say what he just said. Especially when it’s the first thing Chanyeol said when he literally just barreled through the front door.

“I need help.” The younger croaked, voice hoarse, image disheveled. He passed out seconds after that.

“Jaehyun, what happened?” Kyungsoo asked as she knelt down right next to Chanyeol, assessing if he was alright. Junmyeon was already there beside their Phoenix the moment he crashed on his knees a just a few seconds ago. Doyoung was standing behind Chanyeol with another guy that was roughly the same age as he was. Minseok was beginning to realize how many people Kyungsoo knows through that Johnny-guy.

“I was at Chicago when he called. He was frantic on the phone, telling me that he needs to go home to Gwangju. I immediately packed a few things and went to Brisbane, picking Doyoung-hyung up from Phoenix on my way there.” Jaehyun, the new guy who introduced himself as Jung Jaehyun, said as looked at Kyungsoo. Minseok was the only one who didn’t scowl or make a face when Jaehyun smiled at them.

“Make sense.” Kyungsoo said. “He needs Doyoung in order to adapt to the fast travel.”

“Adapt to what?” Minseok asked suddenly.

“Try sitting in a plane that’s moving faster than centrifuge.” Doyoung said, brow raised.

“I think it’s actually slower than a centrifuge.” Jaehyun said, turning to the older.

“Doyoung can adapt to anything. It’s his ability; Adaptability. Not only can he help himself in adapting to anything, he helps the people around him too.” Kyungsoo cut off the two’s bickering.

“I am really confused, right now.” Jongdae said, as he stood up from the couch so that Jongin and Sehun could put an unconscious Phoenix there. “I thought only the guardians have abilities? Heck, I didn’t even _believe_ in magic being true before I found out that _I_ have one.”

“It’s true that the guardians are supposed to be the only ones that have powers.” Kyungsoo said, turning to face her counterpart. “But remember that the Tree of Life is here on Earth. It’s power spreads worldwide, affecting almost anybody. Heejun-oppa said that there were rare cases back in EXO Planet when people would acquire abilities. People like Jaehyun, Doyoung, Yuta and Kun are part of the small group of the lucky ones to be given one.” She went to the kitchen and came back with a handful of towels seconds later.

“Wait, what about Taeyong?” Minseok asked, looking at Kyungsoo. The younger turned to face him.

“Taeyong? What about Taeyong?” Kyungsoo raised a brow while handing the towels she was holding to Yixing, who was kneeling on the floor, right beside Chanyeol.

“Does she have an ability too?” Minseok said.

“Actually, she does.” Doyoung, who Minseok forgot was still there, answered for Kyungsoo. “It’s just dormant.”

“Dormant? Like she can’t use it?” Baekhyun, who was uncharacteristically quiet – he was legitimately starting to scare Minseok; he doesn’t know how many hours has passed since Baekhyun broke anything – asked.

“Unlike us, her ability won’t come out at will. It’s like it’s not awakened yet. She knows about her ability and we know about it, too. People with abilities tend to find others as special as them.” Doyoung explained.

“It’s like they sense the strange, yet, familiar energy that’s emitting from others with abilities. That’s how Taeyong-noona found the kids at her house.” Jaehyun continued.

“Wait, you mean to say that every single child inside her house has abilities?” Junmyeon gasped.

“Yep, and two of the children there, I might add, were found because of your maknae, Sehun-ssi.” Jaehyun gestured at Sehun, who was sitting on the floor, completely clueless.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You stayed at Edinburgh, correct?”

“How do you know that?”

“Kun-ge was there at the same time as you. Both of you were looking for the same thing.” Doyoung ignored Sehun’s question.

“The strange energy that I was feeling; that was your friend?” Sehun asked. Minseok watched as his eyes widen.

“Actually, you were feeling the energy of two others. You met the kids right?” Sehun nodded at Jaehyun’s question. “Well, Kun-ge had been trying to find them for almost a month before you did. The Guardians’ senses to finding others with abilities are far greater than us, who were only fortunate enough to be gifted by the Tree. That’s why you were able to find those kids easier than Kun-ge did. You’re not sensing anything different between the Guardians since you’ve spent your entire lives with each other. For others, your energies are far too great for them to handle.”

“Wait, if that’s true, why can’t we feel your energies, then?” Jongdae narrowed his eyes at the two standing by the door. “It was the same with Kun, Taeyong and Yuta. You said we can sense other ability users’ energies. Why can we sense yours?”

“Because we know how to hide our presence.” Jaehyun answered while shrugging. “It’s something we trained hard to achieve.”

“Trust me when I say that you don’t want to go through that training.” Doyoung said as he shivered. Minseok knew there was something more than that.

“A bit off topic here, but, shouldn’t you be in school, learning things?” Junmyeon interrupted. “You two look like you’re eighteen, maybe younger.”

“We work for Youngho-hyung. Being under the post powerful man in the west has its perks.” Doyoung shrugged.

“We got off of school early and was homeschooled ever since. Believe it or not, we already finished school at eighteen.” Jaehyun said, looking at Junmyeon. “Though, that still doesn’t compare to Johnny-hyung graduating at seventeen.”

“As for our ages, I’m already twenty and Jaehyun’s nineteen. Young, right?” Doyoung smirked. No one spoke after him.

A groan snapped them all from the silence enveloping them.

“Chanyeol, are you alright? Does anything hurt?” Minseok heard Junmyeon ask as soon as Chanyeol’s deep voice was heard across the living room.

“I – I think I’m fine.” He said, shifting in his position on the couch. Yixing was there, being on guard in case their Phoenix falls. Minseok shook when Chanyeol abruptly sat up, looking around frantically.

“Chaeyoung.” He said in panic. “I – I need to find her. I need to-,” Junmyeon pulled Yixing to the side after a spark escaped from Chanyeol’s fingertips. Both she and Minseok knew what that meant.

“Everyone, stand back.” Junmyeon commanded. Everyone followed almost immediately.

“Chanyeol, calm down.” Minseok said as he and Junmyeon stood near him, preparing to cool him down in case he sets up a fire close to him. Chanyeol does that unintentionally when he’s agitated. It was one of the reasons why they thought that he was the one who burned the house down years ago.

“N – no, I – I need help.” Chanyeol’s voice was full of panic and concern. “Chae-,”

“Chanyeol, look at me.” Junmyeon took Chanyeol’s face in her hands. Minseok saw her flinch at the contact and immediately, he felt a sting on his own hands – his partner was in pain. Chanyeol was heating up and Junmyeon’s water was countering the heat. Minseok felt the pain increase but he saw that his counterpart was keeping a straight face in order to calm Chanyeol down.

“Yeol, it’s okay. Look at me.” Junmyeon said. Chanyeol stopped looking around and focused his eyes on his leader. “You’re safe. We can help you. But in order to do that, you need to calm down and let us know what happened, okay?” Junmyeon whispered. Minseok felt the pain in his hands increase. He heard Junmyeon hiss.

It snapped him from his daze and he leaped towards Junmyeon, reaching over her back and placing his hands on top of hers. He entwined their fingers together and released a wave of cool ice that effectively chilled Chanyeol’s heated state. They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Junmyeon released her grip on Chanyeol’s face, but never let go of Minseok’s cold hands. He knew that her hands were still burning; he felt it. He was still hugging her from the back, looking at Chanyeol worriedly.

“Are you alright, now?” Junmyeon asked Chanyeol, who nodded as he slowly breathed in and out. She sighed in relief as she leaned back against Minseok, who supported her while both of them stood.

“A – are you okay, noona?” Chanyeol asked, looking at Junmyeon with worried eyes. “I – I didn’t h – hurt you, didn’t I?”

 _“This seems familiar.”_ Junmyeon mused in their minds.

 _“What?”_ Minseok questioned, looking down at his counterpart.

“It’s fine.” Junmyeon said as she let go of Minseok’s hands to let Chanyeol see hers.

“Do you want me to heal you, Junmyeon-ah?” Yixing asked from behind Minseok.

“It’s alright; nothing serious. Oppa can cool it down.” Minseok gently grabbed Junmeyon’s hands in his and maneuvered them so that Junmyeon was sitting on one of the couches while he sat on the arm. Junmyeon’s fingers entwined with Minseok’s as he released another wave of cool ice to his hand; enough to cool her down and not hurt her.

“You know that there are more chairs in this living room than there are people.” Minseok said as he turned to Jaehyun and Doyoung, who were casually standing by the wall near the door.

“Are you sure? This seems like a personal thing between all of you.” Doyoung said, waving his hand in the air. “We can leave and come back, if you want.”

“No-,” Chanyeol called them as they were about to leave. “I think you might help.” He said, leaning forwards to lean his elbows on his knees. He looked at the carpet silently. Everyone slowly positioned themselves so that they’re sitting on one of the many couches in the living room. Sehun and Jongin sat beside the armchair where Junmyeon and Minseok were sitting. Baekhyun was with Yixing and Kyungsoo at the couch in front of the one Chanyeol was on. Doyoung and Jaehyun sat at the couch right in front of where Junmyeon was sitting.

“Take your time, Chanyeol.” Jongdae, who took his seat beside Chanyeol, placed his hand on his thigh, assuring him that they were there.

“There was a reason why I stayed in Australia.” Chanyeol said. “It’s where my sister is.”

“You have a sister?” Sehun piped from beside Junmyeon. Chanyeol nodded, his gaze fixed on the carpet.

“You finally found her?” Junmyeon asked, leaning forwards. Minseok looked down at her counterpart with a quizzical expression.

 _“You never told me that you knew that he has a sister.”_ He said.

 _“He told me to keep it a secret.”_ She answered.

_“Okay, then.”_

“Yeah, I finally did; two years ago, I found her in an orphanage. She was fourteen at that time. We got acquainted, I took her in, we lived in a small house in Brisbane ever since.” Chanyeol continued. “After everything that happened two months ago, I went back and checked up on her. The reason why I stayed there was to fix her papers. We were planning on going back here so that she could meet you guys.” He turned to everyone.

“Then why isn’t she with you?” Baekhyun asked, leaning forwards. Chanyeol was silent for a moment. Minseok saw that his entwined fingers were already turning white from his death grip.

“She was taken from me.”

Minseok felt Junmyeon grip his hand tighter as she gasped, looking worriedly at Chanyeol. “What happened?” she asked. “Do you know who took her?”

“I don’t know. One day we were finalizing everything on her papers, the next, I woke up and she wasn’t anywhere to be found. I literally checked everywhere in the house. I even went to town to ask around. I couldn’t find her anywhere, noona. I’m sorry, I tried.” Chanyeol’s voice cracked as he gripped his hands tighter.

“The morning that she went missing, a letter came through the mailbox. I didn’t even catch the person dropping it. It just appeared out of nowhere.” He said. “It was addressed to me. No stamp, no address. It was just my name on the envelope. When I read what’s inside, I immediately ran and took the phone Doyoung gave and called the number that he told to call when I want to go back here. They arrived six hours later; I didn’t even question how they got there so fast. I was just……. I just want to find her.” finally, Chanyeol let out a sob, placing his hands on his hair and pulling harshly. Junmyeon was about to stand and make him stop but Jongdae was there, already pulling Chanyeol’s hands from his bright red hair.

“Do you still have the letter?” Baekhyun suddenly asked.

“He actually gave it to me.” Jaehyun stood, digging something out from the pocket of his jeans, and going in front of Baekhyun. He fished out a folded, open envelope and gave it to him. “I don’t know why he gave it. I didn’t read it.”

“Chanyeol, is it okay of Baekhyun reads it out loud?” Minseok asked the frustrated boy on the couch. Chanyeol nodded as he sniffed.

_“Park Chanyeol, greetings._

_Please do not be alarmed, we have Park Chaeyoung. Abducting her was something we were paid to do but, we aren’t planning to giving her that easy. You see, we know that the people who ordered her abducting is after you and it has come to our attention that you have something that’s very….... unearthly. You have intrigued us, Park Chanyeol, and we want to know exactly why these people are after you, so much that they’ll kill your sister if you don’t come to them. Of course, we don’t want that. You wouldn’t, right?_

_So, we have come to an agreement; in order for her to come home safely, you’ll have to participate in a race that’s going to be held two weeks from now. The people who ordered her abducting will be participating, as well. Park Chaeyoung will be the prize. If you win, you get to stay with us and she gets to walk out._

_If they win, she’ll be killed on the spot, whether you come to them, or not._

_The choice is yours to make, Park Chanyeol._

_Should you choose to accept, follow the directions attached to this letter and you’ll be able to get your sister back. Remember, only one of you gets to walk free and we both know that you’ll be taking your sister out of the mess you created._

_We await your arrival in two weeks at Ulsan._

_Seventeen Carats.”_

The tense atmosphere was so thick that if a pin dropped, it would’ve been heard up to Sehun’s room at the end of the hallway upstairs. Junmyeon’s grip on Minseok’s hands turned loose after hearing the contents of the letter from Baekhyun. Chanyeol had been quiet the whole time, as if he was hearing the letter for the first time like them. Jaehyun and Doyoung were quiet as well. Minseok saw them look at each other when the Baekhyun finished reading, as if they were having a silent conversation in their minds.

“ _Seventeen Carats._ I know them.” Sehun hissed. Minseok understood why they were all acting murderous.

“What would a gang want with Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked, hand still resting on Chanyeol’s thigh.

“They probably found out he has abilities. He _was_ practically on the news almost every day when the forest in Phoenix burned down.” Baekhyun said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“But they don’t know that it was Chanyeol-hyung, though.” Jongin said, fidgeting with his fingers.

“They’re a _gang,_ Jongin.” Jongdae said. “They have eyes everywhere. Someone probably tipped them off or something, that someone with abilities will start a fire on the other side of the world.”

“If that’s not the case, then they probably saw him.” Kyungsoo said, looking at Jongin. There was silence around them once again. It wasn’t as thick as before but the tension was still there. Minseok turned to his counterpart.

_“Myeon, are you okay?”_

_“Yeah, why?”_

_“You’ve been awfully quiet.”_

_“Just thinking.”_

Minseok hummed softly, gently squeezing Junmyeon’s hands. She squeezed back almost immediately. Minseok turned to the others. As expected, all of them wore matching expressions.

Anger.

They might’ve not known Chaeyoung at all but she’s Chanyeol’s family; probably the only living blood relative he has. They weren’t going to allow them to just take her like that. The thought of losing someone after Jaeyoung, Yifan, Lu Han, and probably Zitao was devastating. Chanyeol was probably having the worst side of it.

“So, who’s up for a trip to Ulsan?” Baekhyun just took the words right out of Minseok’s mouth.

“I am.” Everyone spoke, shocking Chanyeol.

“Guys.” He hiccupped, hands reaching up to cover his face.

“She’s your sister, Chanyeol.” Junmyeon let go of Minseok’s hands as she spoke. She slowly walked towards Chanyeol and placed a hand on top of his shoulder.

“You’re our family. That makes her our family, too. Even if we haven’t met her yet.” she said, smiling down at him, eyes turning into crescents and pearly white teeth showing.

“The only question is: how will we enter the race and where will we get a car in short notice?” Sehun asked, looking at Minseok. Minseok shrugged, for once, not knowing what to do.

“We can help with that.”

Everyone looked at Doyoung an Jaehyun. Both of them had stood up, Doyoung was smirking while Jaehyun had his hands crossed in front of him.

“Are you seriously going to tell them now?” Kyungsoo asked, turning to face the two at her right.

“I think you know what happens when you come across _Seventeen Carats_ , noona.” Doyoung said, pulling out his phone. “This makes it our business too.” he excused himself and went out, putting his phone next to his ear. Minseok could’ve sworn he heard him mutter “Those damned wannabes.”

“Plus, they’re going to find out eventually.” Jaehyun added. Kyungsoo sighed and waved her hand as a sign for them to continue. There was silence around them again before the front door opened.

“I just talked to Yuta-hyung.” Doyoung came back, shutting his phone off. “Youngho-hyung’s still stuck in his meeting but Yuta-hyung said that he’ll inform him of the situation when he gets out. He said we can continue.”

“I think I know why you gave that letter to me, Chanyeol-ssi.” Jaehyun said to Chanyeol, who looked up at him. “I think you saw our name at the back of seats of that plane. Am I right?” Chanyeol nodded.

“I’m confused.” Yixing said, finally speaking up for the first time, from his seat. “What name?” Minseok saw Doyoung and Jaehyun smirk again.

“Ever heard of ‘NEO City’ before?”

The occupants of the room – except Jaehyun, Doyoung, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol – gasped. Of course everyone knew about them; Who wouldn’t? Everyone knows about them like they had neon signs on top of their faceless heads. Minseok heard stories about them from the people he worked with in Berlin. He knows who they are. He knows what they do. He knows what they are capable of. Even though they’ve gone dormant, everyone still talks about them.

Minseok never expected to meet two members of the most notorious syndicate in the west.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, it begins.
> 
> NEXT UP: A little backstory, Kyungsoo amazes everyone (and scares everyone), and EVERYONE is DEAD tired.


	14. YUTA

“Tell me, why are we doing this again?”

“Because, we promised that we won’t be sitting on our asses all day.” His leader answered.

Yuta sighed, not really having the strength to fight with Johnny at the moment. He had a harsh day; they both did. Though, he still doesn’t know where Johnny was getting all his strength to talk on the phone with a variety of people just after talking to executives from around South Korea roughly only an hour ago. Yuta looked at his leader again.

Knowing Johnny had been the best thing that happened in Yuta’s life. As a boy sent to South Korea as a young student from Japan, Yuta wasn’t popular among others. Johnny was also just a boy when he met him. People tried their best to stay away from Yuta because he had “anger issues”, as other like to call it, and they get “a weird vibe” every time he comes near. They just couldn’t wait for the day he was sent back to Japan. Everyone was like this to him, even the teachers. Everyone except Johnny, Taeyong and Taeil. They accepted him with open arms, quite literally.

Johnny literally come over and hugged him shitless when he saw Yuta sitting in the cafeteria alone. Taeyong and Taeil were trailing after the taller, holding on to their own lunches and as well as Johnny’s. He introduced himself as plain Seo Youngho and not the son of Suh Enterprises’ current head. It came as a shock to Yuta who Johnny really was when the taller invited him over for a play date at his house. That was when Yuta realized who he was friends with. That’s how they came to know each other when they were ten and Taeil was eleven. They stayed friends even when Johnny had to drop out of school and skip grades; even when Yuta had to go back to Japan after the year was up – he had to beg his parents to let him study fully in South Korea when he was shipped back home and he had been surprised when they said that they were okay with it.

Yuta never regretted that decision.

He joined the best group of people he could’ve ever met.

NEO City. The name has grown on Yuta ever since Johnny introduced the group to them. Shortly after meeting Kyungsoo, four years ago, Yuta and Taeil joined. Taeyong haven’t officially joined in but she knows everyone in NEO City and everyone in NEO City knows her. In another time, they were feared, Yuta knew, but for now, Yuta was enjoying the peace and quiet the top tiers of NEO City had practically begged for their whole lives.

Yuta knew that Johnny had been reluctant to tell them that his family is at the top ranks of the most famous syndicate in the west. He told about NEO City after they were shocked to stillness after seeing an unconscious man inside his house, bleeding badly from a gunshot wound while holding on to a boy, younger than all of them, in the same state as him. Yuta was getting strange vibes from the younger boy as he stared at him and the man bleeding on the white carpet. He was sixteen at that time, same for Johnny, and he was shocked to see his friend perform advanced first aid on the man and the boy without any help from the others. There was no one else inside the house at that time and Johnny made it clear to Yuta and the others that the incident would remain only within them. They were too scared to disobey that they hadn’t even called the ambulance to pick the two injured people up just because Johnny said so. Doctors rushed inside the house twenty minutes after Johnny picked up his phone and the two got treated right then and there. They congratulated Johnny on a job well done in removing the _seven bullets_ lodged on the older one and the _three_ on the younger. Until this day, Yuta is still amazed at what Johnny could do.

That man is Kim Gongmyung and the boy is his brother, Kim Dongyoung. That incident was the reason why Doyoung always follows Johnny around like a lost puppy, not even questioning what he’s told to do as long as Johnny was the one who commanded it. He owed both his and his brother’s life to Johnny. If Yuta wouldn’t be honest with himself, he would’ve done the same thing.

After Johnny and his dad had explained the situation to them that night, Yuta and the others distanced themselves from Johnny as his father had advised. He said that it would be a great way to clear their minds off and think about what they saw and heard. They didn’t see Johnny for a whole three months because of that. In between that long timeframe, Yuta saw something that changed his life forever.

Doyoung had shown his ability to them a month before Yuta’s own abilities started to manifest. Doyoung’s hand turned into ice when he touched the fire from the wick of a candle, countering the heat. Taeyong called it magic, completely interested at what she had seen. Taeil called it a miracle. Yuta didn’t believe what he saw at first but when his own ability started showing up, he went back to Johnny and Doyoung and Johnny explained everything from the start; from the Tree of Life to its magic.

Kyungsoo came into their lives a little over half a year later. Yuta and Taeil joined NEO City shortly after that.

People thought that NEO City has become inactive. This was because they are planning to remove themselves from the face of the Earth. They have changed – NEO City – and Yuta was proud to say that they weren’t doing what people thought they were doing. They mainly focus on giving a place for people who are like them: the ability users. It would make sense since the top tiers of NEO City are all gifted.

“So, what will you do now?” Yuta asked when Johnny _finally_ stopped talking on the phone, keeping his eyes on the dark road. It was already two in the morning and Johnny was making him drive all the way back to Jaeyoung’s old house; the house currently housing the Guardians of the Tree of Life.

“I’ll drive ahead to Daejeon to get Mark. We’ll go to Incheon to meet Sicheng.” Johnny said, putting his phone down.

“Why are you meeting him?” Yuta asked, glancing at Johnny. “Shouldn’t he be in Beijing by now?” he said, recalling the phone call he had with Sicheng just the day before.

“No, his flight was moved to tomorrow. He’ll be bringing Mark with him back to Beijing.” Johnny answered, leaning back against his chair.

“Okay.” Yuta nodded, understanding what he meant. “You’ll be flying back to Chicago alone, then? Are you sure you can get back by yourself?”

“Yeah. It isn’t the first time so it’s fine.”

“You know what happened the last time you went to Vancouver alone?”

“In my defense, I was eighteen.”

“Aged enough to know that you, a rich guy’s son, wandering alone in the streets of Vancouver would mean trouble.”

“It was worth it, though; I found Mark.”

“And almost got yourself killed _along with Mark_.”

Yuta heard Johnny sigh. When it came to that topic, Yuta knew that Johnny couldn’t win against him. It was an argument they had three years ago. Johnny had been on a hospital bed, in critical condition and in danger of dying. Mark – who was barely twelve at that time – had been on the room adjacent to his, in the same condition but less life-threatening than Johnny’s. Taeyong had given the slightly older male an earful when he was unconscious. She had cried herself to sleep on the side of his bed after that. Yuta and Taeil were there to see it all.

“Fine, I’ll take Doyoung with me.” Johnny gave in as he closed his eyes. “Happy?”

“Very.” Yuta nodded. “You know that Taeyong would say the same thing, right?”

“Don’t remind me. I don’t want to go through the pain she gave me right after I recovered.” Johnny’s voice was getting sleepier and sleepier as the second passes by.

“In her defense, you brought her cousin back in the same state as you.” Yuta turned a right, closing in on the only lit house in the street. “I mean; if It was me, I would’ve killed you.”

“At least she didn’t.” Johnny answered sleepily, his head rolled to the side.

“She would’ve, though.” Yuta glanced at Johnny and found him sleeping, slightly snoring, even. Johnny had gone to sleep almost immediately after his head touched the window. Yuta sighed again as he took his time parking the car outside the large steel gates. He opened his side of the car and stepped out, being greeted by Jaehyun and Doyoung, who just walked through the gate. Behind them, Yuta could see all the Guardians standing in the patio.

“Where’s Youngho-hyung?” Doyoung asked, looking behind Yuta.

“He’s knocked out.” Yuta moved to the side, revealing Johnny sleeping at the shotgun seat.

“Wow, he hasn’t been this knocked out since-,”

“Since Taeyong tortured him when he bailed Jae out of prison, I know.” Jaehyun and Doyoung chuckled at Yuta’s statement. Yuta knew that Jaehyun’s was half-hearted.

“Listen, Doyoung.” Doyoung stood in attention immediately. Yuta smiled. “I need you to accompany Johnny back to Chicago. Pick Mark up from Taeyong in Daejeon and drop the kid off to Sicheng in Incheon.”

“How about hyung?” Doyoung asked, gesturing to Yuta.

“Me and Jaehyun will take them to Busan. We’ll stay there until the race.” Yuta said as he glanced at Johnny. “He said that we need to put them all in shape.” He turned back to Jaehyun and Doyoung.

“Does that mean they’re going to be part of NEO City?” Jaehyun asked.

“No. Johnny doesn’t want to link them to us. It would cause trouble to Taeyong and the kids, who aren’t part of NEO City. We’ll act as if we’re just acquaintances; like they’re from another group.” Yuta answered after his little flashback inside his head. “Even if no one knows who we are, it would be troublesome if they found out at least one of us because of them.” He gestured to the people standing at the patio of the house.

Truthfully, Yuta still doesn’t know why Johnny was dead-set on helping the Guardians; none of them knew why their leader was acting like this towards them. Sure, NEO City is a group for people like them so Yuta shouldn’t really question it but when it came to the Guardians, Johnny acted differently. The only bit of information they do know is that it was an agreement between Johnny, Johnny’s dad and Johnny’s grandad. He refused to tell anyone what their secret was. Although Yuta and Taeil knew something that the others didn’t, Johnny to them to keep it to themselves for the time being. Though, Yuta’s sure that Taeyong knows everything about Johnny, but he’s sure that Johnny didn’t tell her; it’s highly likely that she found out on her own. Taeyong still scares Yuta sometimes – even if she, Johnny, Taeil and Yuta had spent half of their lives together – Yuta still doesn’t know what’s running through her head. It’s kind of the same with Kyungsoo; her poker face is top of the line.

“Taeil-hyung’s going to take care of the people who find out about us, anyway.” Doyoung crossed his arms in front of him.

“Still, we need to be cautious.” Yuta chucked the keys of the car to Doyoung, who caught them with ease. “Take care of the dork.”

“Yes, sir!” Doyoung nodded. Yuta moved out of the way as Doyoung maneuvered himself so that he’s the one standing by the driver side of the car. At the same time, Kyungsoo came jogging beside them.

“You’re leaving?” She lightly panted as she looked at Doyoung.

“I’ll sub in.” Yuta said, smiling at Kyungsoo. “He’s going back to Chicago with Johnny.” Kyungsoo stepped back, seemingly understanding the situation.

“Noona, can you tell them that we’ll be leaving for Busan in about an hour?” Yuta asked Kyungsoo and she immediately nodded. She jogged back to where the others were.

“It’s better to leave now; before the sun rises. Less people to see us.” Yuta explained to Jaehyun when he looked at him with a quizzical expression. At the explanation, Jaehyun nodded in understanding.

“Call when you reach Daejeon.” Doyoung nodded at Yuta’s statement. He climbed to the driver’s seat and pulled the door close, looking up at Yuta and Jaehyun.

“See you later.” Doyoung said and drove off, leaving Yuta and Jaehyun outside the steel gates of the large house behind them. Both of them stayed outside for a couple of seconds more before they went through the gate and walked across the large lawn of the house. The front door was open when they got there and when they went inside, Kyungsoo was busy packing a small suitcase.

“The others are in their rooms.” Kyungsoo said even before Yuta asked her. He frowned, wondering how she knew what he was going to ask.

“I know your style, Yuta.” Kyungsoo said. “I knew you want to move at night. Less people, less trouble.” She said as she zipped her luggage bag close.

“You never cease to amaze me, noona.” Yuta said as he sat on one of the couches in the room. At the same time, someone from upstairs looked down on them.

“Uhmm, Kyungsoo?” The person’s distinct deep voice sent a shiver up Yuta’s spine.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo answered, dragging her bag next to the door.

“Can I – uhh – talk to you?”

“Why are you being so nervous?” Kyungsoo asked as she went to the foot of the staircase. She looked back at Yuta. “Watch the house, please. Jongin and Sehun might burn it down trying to make a last minute meal. Trust me when I say that they’re worse than Yukhei and Mark.”

“You got it, noona.” Yuta nodded and he watched the girl walk up the staircase and into the second floor. The sound of a door being closed and locked rang through the large house. Yuta sighed, leaning his head against the back of the couch.

“Hyung, I can drive all the way to Busan, if you like.” Jaehyun’s voice cut through the silence minutes after Yuta finally relaxed in his seat.

“Are you sure? We can take turns.” Yuta said, peering one eye open to look at Jaehyun, who was seating on one of the couches opposite of where Yuta was.

“It’s okay.” Jaehyun shrugged. “You can sleep during the whole ride.”

“Okay, then.” Yuta sighed, having no strength left in his system.

A few minutes later, the Guardians were finally starting to come out of their rooms and into the living room. One by one, they filed in, all of them placing their bags next to Kyungsoo’s by the door. All of the Guardians were already washed and set for a six-hour long trip to Busan and Yuta was still having a hard time standing due to all the exhaustion he went through only the day before. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo showed up minutes after that and they all stared at Yuta expectantly.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He sighed as he half-dragged himself up and out the front door. “Jae, I’m not sure what might happen but I probably might pass out after this.” He said over his shoulder.

“We got you covered, hyung.” Jaehyun showed a thumbs up from behind him. Beside the younger, Kyungsoo was there, holding on to Yixing, their healer, just in case. Yuta nodded and stared at the open lawn on front of him.

Using his ability this abrupt and in this exhausted shape is not really ideal since his ability tend to cost much more energy than almost everyone in their small group of ability users. Making an automobile or a vehicle is what Mark likes to call “Creation Magic”. Truthfully, Yuta kind of likes the name the fifteen-year-old gave him. Johnny had studied more than enough books on myths and legends about magic – Yuta thought it was useless to read on them but he admittedly regretted saying that because Johnny tortured him about being right all this time – to know that “Creation Magic” tends to need more physical energy than other forms of abilities like “Manipulation Magic”, which tends to need more patience and mental processes. That would explain why Yuta was hot-headed and impatient sometimes.

Yuta felt his ability through his veins, filling every inch of his system with energy. He concentrated hard on that one spot in the driveway in front of him. Seconds later, he raised his hands in front of him and a black van showed up at the spot he’s been staring at for five minutes now. It would’ve taken less than the time he took to make this van but he was exhausted from all the travels he and Johnny took yesterday and the fatigue was really starting to rush in. Thankfully, when he was done with creating the van and when he collapsed on the ground, three pairs of arms held him upright. He could tell that one pair belongs to Kyungsoo because it was small and soft – which is ironic since she controls force and earth – unlike the pair that he’s sure belongs to Jaehyun because they’re a bit rough and firm. The other pair of hands certainly belongs to their healer since Yuta felt his healing ability flow through his body the second he came in contact with him.

“A – alright.” He stuttered out, still feeling the burn out. “You can board now.” Yuta said as they helped him seat on the stone steps he was standing on while Yixing worked his magic on him. He watched the others put all their things at the back of the van and board at the back seats. Jaehyun and Yixing helped him board the shotgun seat right before Yixing joined the others at the back while Jaehyun went to sit at the driver’s seat.

Yuta passed out then and there, feeling the van move and lightly jostle him around as Jaehyun drove to Busan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT UP: Sehun gathers information.


	15. SEHUN

Sehun was slowly understanding the situation at hand; he was slowly understanding how and why Kyungsoo was trusting a bunch of people that’s younger than them.

Because they understand each other.

NEO City, as Jaehyun explained to him three days after they got to the large house Johnny owned in Busan, is a group for individuals who have unusual abilities that aren’t present in other people. It was established almost a hundred years ago, back to Johnny’s great-great-great-great-grandfather. But NEO City hadn’t always been like how it was now.

Back then, when the first of Johnny’s four fathers established NEO City, they had been like any other syndicate out there. They killed, murdered, dealt with drugs, sold firearms and shut anyone who knew about them. _For good_. Jaehyun said that thy were cruel and ruthless back then but when Johnny’s great-grandfather took over, he started to change the ways the operate under the organization and his son did the same. When Johnny’s father took over, NEO City changed for good. They searched far and wide for ability users and told them that they could find shelter and support under the organization without any fear of the government finding out because they practically _are_ the government. They explained why they had powers and Johnny had trained them to use and control it.

“Wait, Johnny said that he didn’t have any abilities.” Sehun said to Jaehyun in confusion, remembering what Johnny had said only the night before.

Jaehyun chuckled at him. “He…. doesn’t…. but he understood those who have. He understood that those with abilities need to control their emotions that they shouldn’t be scared when they used their ability. He understood that their abilities are linked to their feelings.”

“How? How did he find those out when he doesn’t have abilities of his own?” Sehun couldn’t help but ask.

“Everything became clear when Doyoung-hyung showed up.” Jaehyun said, looking at the vast backyard. They were sitting on the gazebo at the back of the house when Sehun confronted Jaehyun about their organization. The others were inside then, resting.

“Youngho-hyung had been sixteen at that time. Doyoung-hyung’s brother, Gongmyung-hyung, was part of NEO City’s inner circle. He fully supported Johnny’s father when he said that they were going to start to take special people in. Of course he would; his brother is one of those special people.” Jaehyun said.

“Doyoung can adapt to anything, right?” Sehun looked at Jaehyun.

“Yeah. It was the reason why he survived three fatal gunshots at fifteen and why his brother was still able to walk even with seven bullets in his body.” Sehun gasped at what Jaehyun said. “Because of Gongmyung-hyung fully supporting Youngho-hyung’s father, he became targeted by others who wanted to know more about why he supported the change.”

“They wanted to know more about Doyoung.” Jaehyun nodded at Sehun’s statement.

“Doyoung-hyung became targeted, Gongmyung-hyung tried hard to protect him, and Youngho-hyung saved both of them when they showed up on death’s door in his house. Youngho-hyung took Doyoung-hyung under his wing and when he found out that Doyoung-hyung has an ability, both of them studied it together. That’s where Youngho-hyung got all his knowledge about abilities. Aside from the Seo children, who are part of the group at birth, Doyoung-hyung was the youngest in history to join NEO City.”

“He was also the first person with abilities to join.”

Sehun and Jaehyun looked behind them and saw Yuta walking towards them with his hands inside his pockets. Sehun gave a curt nod of acknowledgement when Yuta looked at him. Yuta had returned the greeting a second later. They continued their talk about the organization, Sehun listening to every bit of information he could get. By nightfall, when they had finished, Sehun went to talk to Kyungsoo as to how she came to know Johnny and those in NEO City.

“Aren’t you tired?” Kyungsoo had asked him when she saw him outside her bedroom door.

“I just want to understand everything that’s happening, noona.” Sehun answered with a pout, knowing that no one could resist the maknnae’s cuteness, and Kyungsoo finally gave in, gesturing him to sit by her bed.

Kyungsoo had stepped out of her room for a few minutes to get an orange from the kitchen downstairs for Sehun. Sehun patiently waited, looking around the room with curious eyes. It was plain and too large for a single occupant, Sehun had thought, but it was cozy and warm despite the lone occupant being the only one to provide heat around the room. Kyungsoo came back with her promised orange and chucked it at Sehun when he greeted her on her bed. Sehun happily peeled and ate the sweet fruit and offered some to Kyungsoo, who declined, saying that she already ate one, minutes before Sehun showed up.

“Are you sure you want to know now?” Kyungsoo asked as she laid the two glasses of water on her bedside table. Sehun nodded and looked up expectantly. Kyungsoo sighed and began walking towards him.

“Four years ago,” Kyungsoo started “I found out who my mother is.” she sat on the bed next to Sehun. “Jae-eomma wasn’t lying when she said that among all of us, the only ones with different cases were me, Junmyeon-unnie and Jongdae and Jongin.”

Sehun recalled what Jaeyoung had said to them when they were young. He remembered the story about how they were all given to her at the age of one and how their parents were never heard from again. They had all been the same except for the ones Kyungsoo had mentioned. Junmyeon had been born in Jaeyoung’s care, Jongin and Jongdae had been given to her at the same time and Kyungsoo…… Well, Jaeyoung had found Kyungsoo inside a box in an alleyway.

Sehun patted Kyungsoo’s back when the older stopped talking and started fiddling with her fingers.

“Thanks, Sehun.” Kyungsoo smiled up at Sehun. Sehun was more than happy to give it back. Kyungsoo continued, “Four months after we separated, Johnny’s father found me in Colorado and asked me to go to Chicago with him. I refused to go and it was my mother who came and convinced me to come with her. I didn’t know that she was part of NEO City’s inner circle at that time. I didn’t see her that much.”

“I’m sorry, noona.” Sehun held Kyungsoo’s hand in his. “We can continue in another time, if you want.” He said, not wanting to hear anything more that would probably open wounds for his noona.

Kyungsoo shook her head. “No, it’s okay.” She said. “I met her and her acquaintances, she had told me what I missed through the years.”

“She seems nice.” Sehun said, playing with Kyungsoo’s fingers.

Kyungsoo nodded. “She was.”

“Was?”

“She was murdered a year after we met.”

Sehun gaped at Kyungsoo. Her gaze was rooted on the ground, showing no signs that she’ll shift her gaze soon. Her face was blank, unreadable even for Sehun, the epitome of blank-faced expressions. Sehun felt bad having his noona tell the painful story about her mother. He silently told Kyungsoo that they could stop, if she wanted, but Kyungsoo shook her head and smiled up at him.

“People found out that she’s part of an illegal organization. They didn’t find out what group she was working for, though.” she continued. “That was when I learned about NEO City and what they do. At first, I didn’t want to believe anything but Johnny had convinced me to at least hear them out and I did. I met everyone, got acquainted, learned what they do, but, together with Taeyong, I didn’t officially join the organization.”

“Why is that?” Sehun asked before he could stop himself.

“I didn’t want to burden them.” Kyungsoo answered. “Maybe they would get hurt because of me.”

“They are the _Mafia,_ noona.” Sehun found himself saying. He covered his mouth in embarrassment, smiling sheepishly when Kyungsoo chuckled at him.

“I know but you know that they changed, right?” Kyungsoo smiled. “I know that, too, but I couldn’t bring myself to join them. I…… just couldn’t. Still, they continue to help me, even though I’m not part of their group. I think it’s because we are the reason why they changed NEO City in the first place. I try my best to not get them involved but they’re good at finding what I need.” There was silence between them; Sehun knew that Kyungsoo was giving him time to process everything.

“There’s not a single moment that I don’t feel bad.”

Sehun looked up from his gaze on the floor. “About what?”

“Johnny’s doing his best; he doesn’t even care about all the unfair and unjust treatment he’s been getting. Heck, no one even trusts him even after everything he’s done for us. I can’t even do anything about it and I can’t even pay him back. You don’t know, Sehun, but I really owe my life to him.”

“Is that why you trust them this much?” Sehun asked, looking at Kyungsoo.

“Yeah. They helped my mother find me; they never gave up until they did. They support people like us even when it could ruin their reputation in a snap.” Kyungsoo answered, looking on the ground. “Plus, they never let me down. Not even once. Even after everything……” There was silence once again.

“I talked to Yuta and Jaehyun earlier. Johnny and his father seemed to be hell-bent on helping us.” Sehun said, looking at the wall in thought.

“Even I don’t know why.” Kyungsoo said. “No one knows except for Johnny and his family. He doesn’t tell anybody the reason why they’re doing all of these. The closest ones to knowing the truth are his childhood friends and Doyoung and Jaehyun.”

“But even they don’t know.” Kyungsoo nodded at Sehun’s statement.

They talked for a bit more before Kyungsoo told Sehun that he needs to sleep. Sehun obeyed her since he was also feeling that he’ll drop on the ground at any second. That’s how he found himself staring at the plain white ceiling on top of him, thinking about the information he gathered that day. Finally, he was understanding everything that has been happening for the past days.

He slept facing the ceiling.

He woke up on the floor.

Every bone and muscle in his body ached so hard that he couldn’t even move. He was stuck facing the under of his bed, seeing how clean and untouched it is from his view. The covers were sprawled everywhere, a part of it was still hooked to the side of the bed, and his pillows were dangling from the side of the mattress.

“I was wondering when you would wake up.”

Groaning, Sehun moved to his side, facing the door and the person standing in the hallway. “Hyung, hey.” He greeted with a hoarse voice, feeling the pain in his neck and his back.

Baekhyun snorted at him before letting a full-blown laugh escape his mouth. “You should’ve seen how you were sleeping.” he _wheezed_ at Sehun.

Sehun groaned again, facing the ceiling and laying his arms and legs spread out. “Everything hurts.” He mumbled, while closing his eyes. Baekhyun was still laughing at him. Thankfully, someone came and knocked on Baekhyun’s head.

“Instead of laughing at him, why don’t you help him up?” Thank god Junmyeon came or else, Sehun might’ve hit their light bearer with a tornado. Sehun heard footsteps going towards him, presumably belonging to their leader. He turned his head to the side and sure enough, Junmyeon was there, kneeling on his side.

“The floor’s dirty.” She said as she brushed Sehun’s hair out of his eyes. “You could also get a cold from being there.” she held up a hand as she stood. Sehun gratefully took it before Junmyeon pulled him up.

“Kyungsoo’s cooking and Yixing’s out in town with Yuta and Jaehyun.” Junmyeon said to both Sehun and Bakehyun – who was still standing in the hallway, coughing up the last of his laughs – and ushered both of them towards the large dining room downstairs.

Sehun walked through the long hallways with Junmyeon and Baekhyun, passing by the portraits on the walls, the furniture on the sides and the rooms that housed each of the other members. They stopped in front of the room that was currently housing Jongdae, adjacent to that is Jongin’s room, and Junmeyon told them to wake Jongdae up while she wakes his brother. By the time the two brothers woke and was already walking with them, Minseok showed up out of nowhere and shocked everyone except their leader. She continued walking as if she had expected their oldest to appear when he did. Minseok immediately took his usual spot beside Junmyeon and the two walked together in close distance, as if both of them were secretly talking under their breaths. Sehun still marveled at the bond the two shared; untouched, unconditional, fortified, irreplaceable. Something Sehun always wanted but, unfortunately, couldn’t have.

When they stopped in front of the last room occupied by their last member, without their leader saying anything – Junmyeon just lightly touched Minseok’s arm and the two shared at five-second gaze with each other – Minseok ushered all of them down the stairs, leaving Junmyeon to knock on their Phoenix’s door. Sehun heard her lightly call for Chanyeol to open up so they could talk right before Sehun stepped on the landing. He heard the sound of a door opening and closing and a lock being clicked right before he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Chanyeol has been like that ever since they got to the house four days ago. Sehun is yet to talk to him properly after all that happened that night in Gwangju. The only person Chanyeol really talks to is Junmyeon – really, there’s no surprise to that – and no one else. He talks to Jaehyun, too, but since Jaehyun and Yuta are occasionally out of the house when Chanyeol goes out of his room – which is a rare occurrence – they rarely talk but when they do, Sehun is surprised to see them click together like puzzle pieces. When he’s not talking to anyone at all, he stays cocooned on his blanket inside his room, occasionally dead to society. He does brighten up once in a while when Kyungsoo comes to check up on him – she always brings water and pills to keep Chanyeol healthy – and they talk for a while before Kyungsoo goes and checks on the others. Sehun tried to talk to Chanyeol five days after they had stayed in Busan. It was a small talk; short but otherwise, okay. Sehun still considers it as a win since he was finally able to talk to their moping giant. Sehun has been considerate.

He knows how Chanyeol feels.

It’s been four and a half years since he last saw Zitao. Sehun’s still anxious about the wellbeing of his counterpart. After overhearing – he didn’t mean to; he was fetching the ball Yukhei kicked towards the house – what Taeyong had said to the older members, he was slowly starting to accept the fact that Zitao was never coming home. Junmyeon had always reassured him that they will find him; Junmyeon still tries to contact Zitao every day and calls people from around the world if they’ve seen him but every time, she comes up empty. It never stopped her to find him, though.

Sehun, on the other hand, was slowly giving up. A month ago, he was waiting outside of their house every morning, looking at the horizon if he could see a lonely figure walking up to them. He tried to grasp on the thread that was connecting him to his counterpart. He could feel it – it was there – but it felt like it was cut in the middle and Sehun couldn’t grasp the other end of the line. Still, he waited; he waited until he grew tired. Soon, he gave up waiting outside and started to wait in the living room, listening to Junmyeon’s efforts to contact their eternal maknae, knowing that she will come up empty, like the previous attempts at doing so. After that, when they arrived at Busan, Sehun gave up completely and accepted that his counterpart is never going back to him. The thread is completely severed, the other end faded and gone in the wind and Sehun couldn’t feel any traces of the person on the other side anymore. Sehun wants to talk to Junmyeon – to tell her that she could stop searching because the person she’s looking for doesn’t exist anymore. But seeing that Junmyeon doesn’t want to give up, Sehun is conflicted.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Sehun looked up and saw Jongdae hovering above him, his face illuminated by the sun overhead. It had been a week since they got to Busan and they were all – including Chanyeol – currently in the backyard, everyone in their own worlds. Yuta and Jaehyun were out of the house, again. Jongin was exercising by the rose bushes, back turned to everyone as he faced the red roses growing from the ground Baekhyun was walking and talking with Chanyeol, both of them finally returning to their old state of being the loud, talkative ones. Kyungsoo was with Yixing, both of them reading a book while sitting under the shade, back against the tree behind them. Minseok and Junmyeon were sitting together, hands in the air as water and ice mixed together in front of them. Out of all of them, only their oldest and second oldest were the only ones openly practicing the use of their abilities. The others were too scared to use theirs after a long time of inactivity. They might end up hurting themselves or worse, the others.

“It’s nothing.” Sehun finally replied to Jongdae, who was still standing in front of him. He was sitting on the grass, looking at everyone in the backyard.

Jongdae hummed and sat next to him, looking at everyone as well. “Okay, then.” He said, not sounding completely convinced but Jongdae didn’t press on the matter. Sehun was secretly grateful for the older.

“Does any of this feel real to you?” Jongdae asked suddenly. Sehun glanced at him.

“Honestly? I’m not completely sure.” He answered truthfully.

“Me neither.” Jongdae said. Sehun didn’t miss the glance the older sent to their power couple’s way.

“I think, considering our nature and our background,” Sehun said. “this is completely normal.”

Jondae hummed. “Still, it’s hard to get my head around it. One day I was living quietly in Almaty, the next, I’m waiting to participate in a gang war to save Chanyeol’s sister that I don’t even know of until a week ago.”

“Same here, hyung.” Sehun huffed, resting his chin on his knees after bringing them up close to his chest.

“Do you think we’ll ever find happiness, Sehun?”

“…… Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think we ever will.”

“….. I think so too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!!!
> 
> I just want you to know that I've opened up a twitter account, @Jan_Dilimar.
> 
> If you have theories about groups' concepts,music videos and such, please let me know. It will greatly help me with the story. Plus, you can tell me about your own theories on where the story will go, if you like. You can also ask me questions there.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> -Janister
> 
> NEXT UP: A fight has turned to a war.


	16. DONGYOUNG

“Hyung, are you sure about this?”

Doyoung saw the face his leader made. He can’t say that he was shocked to see that expression but he can’t say that he expected it either. He knew what his leader’s face meant; this was the first time he questioned Johnny’s decisions. For the first time in four years, Doyoung questioned the person who saved his life. If he was Doyoung, he would make the same expression as well.

“What do you mean?” Johnny asked, looking up from his computer to look at Doyoung, who was standing on the other side of Johnny’s desk. They were currently in his office in Chicago.

“It’s a gang war, hyung.” Doyoung said, stepping closer. “Don’t you think we’re meant for more than this?” he asked. He spent the last week contacting people to let them in on the race as EXO, a new gang that wants the prize for their own. Johnny asked him to register only Chanyeol’s name as a competitor, not wanting to expose Jaehyun, and said that Jaehyun will only participate as his backup in the shotgun seat. Surprisingly, Seventeen Carats agreed. Doyoung was given a list of gangs participating in the race and Doyoung saw that there was no major group that joined; it was only those small groups of rebellious teenagers that want money. Though, there were some groups that Doyoung didn’t recognize. The racers’ identity is concealed – only Seventeen Carats knows who is who in the race – so Doyoung didn’t bother giving Chanyeol a fake name. Seventeen Carats knows his real name, anyway.

Johnny sighed and turned to Doyoung completely. “It’s not just a gang war, Doyoung.” He said. “You read the letter, too. Someone found out about Chanyeol’s powers and they’re willing to go great lengths just to get him.” he explained.

“But, how do we know if they found out about the Guardians?” Doyoung argued. “They didn’t state anything specific in the letter. Plus, they are _teenagers,_ hyung. What could they do to an adult with abilities?”

“How do you know if the people who ordered Seventeen Carats to take Chaeyoung are teenagers? For all we know, they could be someone under _them_.” Doyoung was silent as he stared on the ground, a bit ashamed at lightly raising his voice at Johnny.

“We can’t take any chances, Doyoung.” Johnny stated firmly but gently. He wasn’t angry; Doyoung would know if he was. “Imagine if a measly gang would take one you guys or even one of the kids. Do you expect me to not use NEO City’s name just to get you back? It’s all what it’s good for, this days, anyways.”

Doyoung was silent. He knew what Johnny was capable of doing and what he wouldn’t do for his friends and his family –it’s what he considers them now, he said that they’re his family. Not wanting to fight with the person he owed his life to, Doyoung just sighed and nodded. If it had been another person, though, Doyoung would fight until there was blood shed.

“I understand.” He said. Doyoung knew that Johnny heard the uncertainty in his voice but he didn’t comment anything about it. “I’ll go back to the house. Maybe Kun’s there already.” He said as he stepped back.

“Okay. Check on Jaehyun, while you’re at it. The race is the day after tomorrow here, which means that it’s tomorrow for them, and I think they’re in Ulsan already.” Johnny said as he waved Doyoung off. Doyoung walked towards the door and quietly shut it behind him.

Doyoung walked through the hallways, passing by officers and employees of the company. They all smiled at him, some even greeted him, as they passed each other. He got to the elevator in no time and he pressed the button at the very bottom, waiting for the elevator to bring him down. When the doors opened, he slowly walked across the basement, where his car was parked, as he put Jaehyun on the phone. It rang for five seconds, just as he entered the car, and Jaehyun picked up right after that.

“Hello?” Jaehyun greeted, there was chattering behind him.

“Where are you now?” Doyoung asked, strapping his seatbelt on and putting Jaehyun on Bluetooth. He started the car and began reversing.

“We arrived in Ulsan this morning. Yuta-hyung’s orienteering them on what to do for the race.” Jaehyun answered. “How about you?”

“I’m going home.” Doyoung said as he exited the basement through the back entrance for the higher ups. Technically, he wasn’t part of the higher tiers in Suh Enterprises but since Johnny, himself, had given him explicit access and has told the staff that the only ones that could pass even without authorization are Doyoung, Jaehyun and Kun. Taeil and Yuta are part of the higher tiers of Suh Enterprises so it’s only natural that they get special passes.

“Youngho-hyung sent you home?” Jaehyun asked in a playful tone. “That’s new.”

“Actually, I was the one who told him that I was going home.” Doyoung answered with an eye roll even when he knew that Jaehyun couldn’t see him. “I’m going to meet Kun.”

“Kun-ge’s already there?”

“Yeah. He arrived just this morning.”

“Did he find him?”

Doyoung was silent for a second before he answered. “Yeah. He was beaten pretty badly. Both of them were.”

“How old is he again? The kid?” Jaehyun asked. The background turned quiet. Doyoung thought that he might’ve moved outside of the house or into one of the bedrooms.

“He’s ten; barely a year older than Chenle.” Doyoung hissed, gripping the steering wheel tight.

Jaehyun hissed on the other side too. “I can’t imagine someone doing that to a ten year-old.” He said. “I thought the incident with Younho-hyung and Mark was the last.”

“I thought so, too.” Doyoung said, forcing himself to calm down. “Ten’s arriving from Thailand to heal them but he’s going to take about half a day just to get here.”

“Let’s hope the kid could survive another half a day of pain.” Jaehyun said, a hint of pity in his voice.

“I’ll help him come for a bit but he’s a child. I haven’t worked with children before except for myself.” Doyoung sighed, leaning back against the driver’s seat.

“You can do it. Aside from Taeil-hyung and Kun-ge, you have the best control on your ability than any of us.”

“Let’s hope I can.” Doyoung said, narrowing his eyes on the road.

Doyoung never really thought of his ability as something useful. Sure, it came handy once in a while but it wasn’t necessarily needed like Ten’s ability or useful like Kun’s or Yuta’s abilities, or even something mysterious and unknown like Taeil’s ability. To Doyoung, he was just plain and he came in handy when needed from time to time. Johnny said that his ability is the most special out of all of the gifted people out there but Doyoung begs to differ. He knew that his leader was only saying those things to make Doyoung feel special. He knows h isn’t that special and unique.

“I’m home. Kun?” Doyoung called as he entered the house through the elevator connecting the parking lot underground to the mansion at the top. There are no maids and servants around – Johnny dismissed all of them when he inherited the house, preferring to be alone with Doyoung and the others – so Doyoung was lightly bothered by the odd noises coming from the rooms on the second floor. It sounded like it was coming from the room that usually housed their eldest.

“Kun?” Doyoung cautiously pushed open the bedroom door closest to the landing of the stairs. Only then did he realize that the sounds were actually a boy crying out in a pillow – the sound became muffled and distorted, that’s why Doyoung thought he never heard the noise before.

“Doyoung, great! You’re here!” Taeil, the only one who was older than Johnny in their small group, greeted him as Doyoung entered the room. He was pinning a kid on the bed by the shoulders, the said kid was crying out on his pillow. Kun was also there, covered in gashes and bandages but still trying his best to keep the kid calm. He was talking gibberish and Doyoung was confused as to how the boy could talk back in the same language.

“Uhmm…. What’s going on here?” Doyoung asked, stepping inside the room. Only then did he realize that Kun was talking in his native language, that’s why he couldn’t understand him. It was the first time he actually heard Kun talk in Chinese. He always heard him talk in English and Korean, though.

“I’ll explain later.” Taeil said as he turned to the kid, who started struggling again when Taeil tried to clean the wounds around his small body. “Can you get the large medical kit in the bathroom downstairs?”

After seeing the mess of dirty, blood-stained bandages on the floor and the blood-soaked sheets of the bed, Doyoung nodded and raced downstairs. He rummaged through the large cabinet inside the bathroom until he found what Taeil was asking for and ran back, dropping the box on the bed next to Kun and opening it up, waiting for Taeil’s instructions.

“I cleaned his wounds up.” Taeil said as he dropped the dirty cotton balls on the floor. “I need to stich some cuts but it’ll be hard if he squirms like this.” Understanding what Taeil was trying to say, Kun and Doyoung worked together to keep the boy down – applying enough pressure not hurt him – as Taeil prepared the thread and the needle.

“Help him calm down, Doyoung.” Kun told him and Doyoung didn’t hesitate to release his ability, making the boy get used to the pain as Taeil started stitching the wounds on his stomach. Kun was back to speaking in his native tongue – Doyoung didn’t need to learn Chinese to know that Kun was reassuring the boy that it will be alright – and boy stopped squirming, slowly getting used to the pain. He flinched a couple of times while Taeil was stitching the second and third wounds. By the time their oldest had stitched the last cut and bandaged all of them well, the boy was already sleeping peacefully and Doyoung, Kun and Taeil were exhausted enough for half the day.

“I came home, hoping to get some rest, but this is what I come to.” Doyoung panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. They were sitting on the living room downstairs while the boy was sleeping where they left him.

“Same here.” Taeil said as he collapsed on the couch adjacent to Doyoung’s seat. Kun was also there, lying straight on the longest couch in the room.

“What happened, anyway?” Doyoung asked, looking at Kun.

“I thought it was an easy job.” Kun replied, his body facing the ceiling, his eyes closed. “I thought we were going to get out.”

“Out? From where?” Taeil asked, also looking at Kun.

“I was captured.”

Doyoung heard Taeil’s breath hitch. Doyoung knew about Kun’s mission in Germany. He knew that Taeyong sent him there to get a gifted orphan – who recently lost his parents to a car crash – and bring him back home to Daejeon. Taeyong got a call from one of their agents from Europe and told her that the kid was displaying some kind of ability. Kun, being Kun, offered to take the boy since Taeyong was too busy with the kids that she didn’t have time to fly over to Germany. If Taeyong knew what she had gotten Kun into, Taeyong wouldn’t allow herself to continue to be around Kun any longer – the guilt of causing Kun to be captured and hurt would kill Taeyong on the inside.

“Please don’t tell noona about this.” Kun said, his eyes still staring at the tall ceiling. Even though he wasn’t looking at him, Doyoung could still feel Kun pleading at them.

“She’s going to find out eventually, Kun.” Bless Taeil’s soul for saying what Doyoung wanted to say. Kun was silent, eyes still on the ceiling.

“What happened?” Taeil asked.

“Everything was normal, at first.” Kun started. “I landed in Germany on time and I arrived at the orphanage on time, too.” he said. “But when I got there, he was gone.”

“He was adopted?” Taeil asked, confused.

“No. He… was gone…. His name wasn’t on their list of orphans. He didn’t exist.”

“That doesn’t make sense at all.” Doyoung said, running at hand through his hair.

“I know. I was confused too.” Kun said. “I searched for him for days.”

“That’s why you lost contact.” Doyoung gaped. It wasn’t like Kun to lose contact with them; he controls everything they use, for goodness sakes! It alarmed Johnny when he didn’t return home after a week. Another week after that, Kun called and told them that he was finally coming home. Doyoung could finally see why Kun didn’t want Johnny to go and check up on him; He was embarrassed that he, a fairly high ranking member of NEO City, lost a _child._ Not only that, he was caught and beaten too – he even told Johnny that he didn’t need him to see him after he landed in Chicago. He simply didn’t want Johnny to know.

“I tracked him in Berlin. He was inside an old apartment. It hadn’t been used for at least five months; The landlord told me. No one had been in and out of that small apartment ever since the last owner left.” Kun said, finally sitting up. Doyoung could finally see the exposed cuts and gashes on his face, his arms and on his legs – Kun was wearing shorts, that’s why Doyoung saw most of the cuts. They all looked slightly fresh but some looked healed to some extent.

“He left me to explore the room. It was small; a typical house for someone who’s low on budget but is still want something cozy.” He continued. “I saw the kid inside the bedroom; he was tied up, beaten, cuts all over his body, bruises lined on his throat, ankles, wrists and he was stripped; he was only on his underwear. Something hit the back of my head even before I stepped inside the room.”

Doyoung stood up, already fuming. He started to pace around, biting his nails – a habit he picked up when he’s angry, thinking, or nervous. He was having trouble keeping his cool as he breathed in and out a million times before Taeil had ushered him to sit next to him on the couch facing Kun.

“Do you want to go to your room?” Taeil said, looking down on him with worry.

Doyoung shook his head. “No, I want to know what happened.” Taeil nodded at Kun to continue.

“I woke up strapped to the metal frame of another bed. It was standing upright, giving me full view of the boy on the bed on the other side of the room. I was incoherent at that time and I didn’t know what was happening.” Kun continued. “Someone came in and looked at me. It was the landlord. He beat me up, trying to get information out about who I was working for, and how I found him and the boy. Of course, I gave them nothing.”

“Did you get a good look of him?” Taeil asked immediately. Kun nodded, fishing his phone out of his back pocket.

“I installed a camera on the collar of my shirt when I started looking for the kid. I knew something was up so I took extra precaution.” He showed a picture on his phone. The person was a tall white male with brown eyes and blonde hair. He had a scar on his neck that ran down under his shirt.

“We better get this to Youngho.” Taeil said, sneering at the photo.

“I already gave it to Sicheng. He’s looking into it since I can’t really use my ability in this state” Kun leaned back.

Taeil stood without hesitation and speed dialed Johnny – Doyoung knew he was calling their leader since he would do the same if he was Taeil – and disappeared inside the kitchen, already talking to the phone.

“That’s not the worst thing that happened.” Doyoung looked at Kun with wide eyes. “There are two other things that happened that night.” he held up two fingers in front of him.

“One, I know the apartment we were in. It was Kim Minseok’s former apartment. The one he stayed at for four years and the one he abandoned more than four months ago. I saw a photo of them inside the room we were kept in. It was under the bed and the landlord didn’t notice that it was there. It’s upstairs; in my room.” Doyoung’s brows knitted together.

“Two, he said something to me: ‘To get to _them and to get their attention,_ first, it was Kim Dongyoung,’”

Doyoung’s breath hitched.

“’then it was Lee Minhyung.’”

Mark; that’s Mark’s Korean name.

“’Now, it’s Liu Yang Yang.’”

That’s the boy sleeping upstairs.

“’Those teenagers who took that girl were annoying but we’ll humor them, for now. That way, we’ll get noticed by _those nine._ After her, who do you want next?’”

“He’s the same person that gunned us down.” Doyoung muttered under his breath, it was low enough for Kun to hear. “The same person to nearly kill Mark more than three years ago.” He gritted his teeth. “And the same person that tortured Yang Yang.” His hissed.

“They’re using kids with abilities to get to the Guardians. Who do they think they are?!”

“Whoever they are,” Kun started. “they know about us interfering and Yang Yang was the last straw. Someone knows about the Guardians and probably about the Tree, too. They thought that by using kids with abilities, they could get to them. But since we always interfered, they never got the chance to come even close. They attracted the wrong group.”

“Now, they resorted to someone close to one of the Guardians and that’s Park Chanyeol’s sister. There’s no denying that they succeeded in gaining the Guardians’ attention.” Taeil’s voice boomed from the kitchen, startling Doyoung. It was the first time he was hearing their eldest this angry. “They involved an innocent girl with no clue as to what is happening and who is living a completely normal life, unlike us.”

“The reason why they ordered Seventeen Carats to get her was because they knew we couldn’t meddle with someone that doesn’t have an ability.” Doyoung seethed. “But if we knew that they are the ones who ordered the kidnapping, we’ll get involved again. They made us think that the cases with the kids and Park Chaeyoung’s case were done by different people, throwing us off of their tail.”

“They’ve made a mistake.” Kun said sneering at his phone. “They don’t know who we are but they know that we already know about them. It’s only a matter of time before they realize who we are and would start targeting bit us and the Guardians.”

“Youngho-hyung was right.” Doyoung muttered. “This isn’t a just a mere fight.” Kun and Taeil nodded.

“It’s the start of a _war._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is a bit messy....
> 
> NEXT UP: Things are questioned, they get a bit violent, and everyone is out of character.


	17. KYUNGSOO

Dressing up as a rich thug wasn’t Kyungsoo’s style of clothing. Sure, she acted as a covering agent for Johnny before – it was the only thing she could do to at least pay him back – but she never dressed like how she was dressing right now.

“Why do I have to dress like this again?” Kyungsoo looked at herself in the full-length mirror inside the room she shared with Junmyeon. They were already in Ulsan and they were currently in one of the hotels there – Johnny, surprisingly, doesn’t have a house built in Ulsan – and there was only less than half an hour left before Chanyeol – he and Jaehyun already left two hours ago – gets to race with a bunch of teenagers and young adults.

“Really, I thought you’d be the last person to question this now.” Junmyeon raised a brow at her. Kyungsoo narrowed her eyes, glaring at herself through the mirror. It would make her easily fit in, yes, but Kyungsoo didn’t really like the concept of being party crashers in a mob gathering. She’s sure Junmyeon doesn’t like it either.

Kun called them hours ago, even before anybody (except Yuta, who was the one who answered the call) was awake, and it caused all of their plans to shift from an easy “win the race and get Chaeyoung, the hell, away from everything and go home” to a complicated “participate in the race while the others bust Chaeyoung out from a mob gathering”. The original plan involved only Chanyeol, Jaehyun and Jongin; The new plan involved every single one of them.

They aren’t just going to hand Chanyeol’s sister to him once he wins. Seventeen Carats cheated and has already handed her to a bunch of nobodies named YG-something. Now, the prize is non-existent; Chanyeol and Jaehyun would be racing for nothing.

Kyungsoo and the others also found out who ordered a gang to take her.

 _They_ want Chanyeol to suffer and the other Guardians to be captured, using dirty tricks to get their attention like abusing and nearly killing three gifted children – Jaehyun and Yuta sneered when they heard that Doyoung and Mark were victims of the same abuse – and now, using Chanyeol’s family. Kyungsoo never felt so angry in her entire life – which is something because she’s always angry. _They_ realized that the gang cheated so they decided to back up from the race but Seventeen Carats didn’t tell Chanyeol because they want to play with him. Kun was the one who found out.

“There’s also something else.” Kun said to them over the phone earlier that day. “If the enemy’s plan were to fail, SWAT teams would be sent to clear you all out.”

“How do you know?” Kyungsoo had asked.

“I looked into the US Government’s databases and plans for today and tomorrow. I took extra precaution – you know how I am, noona.” Kun said. Kyungsoo nodded in understanding. Kun has always been known to be careful. “When someone – for some reason, I couldn’t find out who; I tried, noona – gives the signal, they would rush in and take you all down.”

“What about my sister?” Chanyeol asked, stepping closer to Yuta, who was holding the phone in his hands. “What will they do to her?”

“The whole operation is to _rescue_ your sister.” Kyungsoo’s brows furrowed. “Apparently, someone tipped them that you, the Guardians, were the ones who took her.”

“Now that’s just bullshit!” Baekhyun spat and Kyungsoo couldn’t agree more to their light-bearer. They turned the whole situation on them and they wouldn’t even know it if Kun hadn’t called them.

Now, Kyungsoo is currently staring at herself with clothes that make her look like a thug.

“I hate this whole idea.” Kyungsoo muttered as she gathered her hair up into a high ponytail.

“Well, I think everyone does.” Junmyeon said as she helped tie Kyungsoo’s long dark hair. “I think even Yuta and Jaehyun doesn’t like the plan one bit.”

“Something’s going on, unnie.” Kyungsoo said, looking at her leader in the mirror. “I don’t know but I have this feeling.”

“You’re not to only one, Soo.” Junmyeon looked back at Kyungsoo. “Something’s not right and I feel like something’s going to happen.” Kyungsoo was silent as she nodded, feeing and thinking to the exact same thing.

“Let’s just hope that we’ll get Chaeyoung out of there before it does.”

“I hope so, unnie.”

A knock on the door distracted both Junmyeon and Kyungsoo from their thinking. Junmyeon went to open it and saw Jongdae standing on the other side, wearing an all-white attire.

“We’re ready to go, Kyungsoo.” Jongdae said as he looked at Kyungsoo over Junmyeon’s shoulder.

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo answered as she put on the hidden communication device Kun had provided them that morning – he had it shipped over in a matter of an hour. “Let’s go.” She said as she looked at her counterpart on the hallway. Kyungsoo passed by Junmyeon – who was leaving a little later than them – and nodded at her, giving a silent goodbye to her leader.

“Baekhyun’s already waiting downstairs. Minseok-hyung and Jongin are already there.” Jongdae said as he led Kyungsoo to the elevator. “Yuta’s driving us down to the house.” Kyungsoo nodded at her counterpart. The ride down to the basement parking lot took less than two minutes before the elevator doors opened and Kyungsoo and Jongdae stepped out.

“Let’s go. There’s only less than half an hour left for the race and you still need to find where Chaeyoung is.” Yuta said before Jongdae, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo boarded the car. They were out of the basement in a minute and was already racing towards the gathering. Only fifteen minutes passed before they reached the perimeter of their target location. They stayed inside the car, waiting for the signal for them to enter.

“Capture everything that’s happening on film.” Yuta said as he handed Kyungsoo a video recorder. “We’ll get it to Kun so he can look at who’s who inside the gathering and to find out if he can see some familiar faces.” Kyungsoo nodded and hid the recorder inside the small bag she had with her.

A voice suddenly echoed through the air, telling people to prepare for upcoming guests. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it was Minseok’s voice booming through the abandoned streets and warehouses.

“That’s your cue. Jongin-ssi and Minseok-ssi finally got their attention. I’m surprised the people there didn’t run off. This particular group is known to be cowards.” Yuta said as he unlocked the doors. At the back, Baekhyun and Jongdae was already stepping out of the car. From the shotgun seat, Kyungsoo opened the door beside her. Before she could step outside, Yuta grabbed her by the arm.

“Yuta?” she turned to look at the younger.

“Be careful, noona.” Yuta said, concern in his eyes. “I don’t want to tell them the bad news if something happened to you.”

“Don’t worry.” Kyungsoo said gently. “I’m not alone. I never was. I never will.” she smiled. “But, in case something does happen, I’m counting on you. Don’t let anything happen when I’m gone.”

“Of course.” Yuta returned the smile before he nodded and let Kyungsoo go.

“Let’s do this.” Baekhyun sighed and all three of them walked towards the largest warehouse in the area. They opened the doors and looked at everyone inside.

They were all wearing elegant white clothes – Jongdae could fit in perfectly – and almost all of them were wearing masks, as if trying to cover up their identities. So much for knowing who they are.

“Don’t mind us.” Jongdae said as he put up his best smirk. “We’re just here to have fun.”

The three of them walked through the crowd without looking at anybody and anything but the front. Kyungsoo was wearing her best poker face – which Baekhyun commented about as something that would probably kill him with one glance – as they walked towards where Jongin and Minseok were.

“Friends!” Jongin cheered and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but raise a brow at his duality – he looked like he was older than Kyungsoo; like he was actually part of a mob. “Come join us!” he said as they entered the room.

“Baekhyun, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun and Kyungsoo turned to Jongdae when he called them. Since he was picked – they played a game of rock paper scissors and Jongdae lost – to be the second leader of EXO – Chanyeol, obviously, was made as the main leader – they have to act as if they’re his underlings. “Stay here. I’ll talk to the people at the table.” By table, Jongdae meant the table where the top tiers of the mob were sitting.

“Okay.” Kyungsoo answered for both her and Baekhyun. Jongdae disappeared through the door at the end of the room right after that.

Kyungsoo sat next to Minseok, who was sitting on one of the chairs around the gambling table. Siting there, Kyungsoo saw that Minseok and Jongin were actually _winning_. The gambling table wasn’t really something new to Kyungsoo since, as said before: she worked as a cover up agent for Johnny; She went undercover three years ago and it made her become familiar with the things people do around the gambling table.

“Where did you learn how to gamble?” Kyungsoo whispered in Minseok’s ear.

“I’m a natural.” Minseok grinned, the corners of his mouth curving up. Kyungsoo rolled her eyes and looked at Baekhyun, who was cocking his head towards the other room next to the one they were in.

“Did you find her yet?” Kyungsoo whispered so lowly that she wasn’t sure if Minseok caught what she said. Minseok shook his head, a sign that he did hear, while glancing at her.

“I asked around the table of they know about her. They all don’t know who she is.” Minseok whispered back. “Jongin scouted the area earlier, he found nothing out of the ordinary.” Kyungsoo nodded and stood, walking up to Baekhyun.

“So?” Baekhyun asked, raising a brow. Kyungsoo shook her head and made Baekhyun sigh. “Let’s ask around the cock-fighting pit.”

“I hate that place.” Kyungsoo muttered.

“You hate this place in general, Kyungsoo.”

“I know.”

They reached the pit in a matter of seconds and the noise was already giving Kyungsoo a headache. Everything was noisy, people were throwing money everywhere, everyone was shouting at the animals in the middle of the tall cage that was stationed in the middle of the room. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun split ways and squeezed their way towards the front of the crowd, watching the animals fight in the middle. She stayed still for minutes, watching the fight.

“What brings you here?” a girl beside Kyungsoo asked as they both watched with quiet interest, unlike the rest of the people around them. She was wearing white like all of the others. Her features make her look slightly younger than Kyungsoo but she’s taller than her a couple of inches – maybe around Yixing’s height.

“The boss wants to talk to people. We’re just here to enjoy ourselves while he does.” Kyungsoo answered, keeping her eyes on the fight – for some reason, she was beginning to like it.

“Same.” The girl responded. “My partner’s out there, somewhere. I’m just here to chill out.”

“Oh? From what?” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but ask.

“I was in charge of watching someone.” The girl shrugged. “You know, life.”

“Oh. Yeah. I hate it when I get watch duty.” Kyungsoo smirked to herself. Finally, she was getting something. All she has to do is to keep up the act and she’ll find out where Chaeyoung is.

“I know, right?” the girl laughed. “The girl I was watching over is boring. She never talks. She only stares at me with cold eyes. She’s cute though, quite tall, too.”

“A girl?” Kyungsoo raised a brow at the girl.

“Opps. I wasn’t supposed to say that.” The girl stepped back a bit.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Kyungsoo smirked. “I mess up like this from time to time but nobody gets to know, anyway.” she said.

“Really?” Kyungsoo nodded at the girl. “Well, I think the girl I was watching over is someone really important.”

“How so?”

“My boss said that she’s someone’s sister? Like the sister of someone really powerful. What’s her name again? Park Chai – Che – Chae – something.”

Kyungsoo immediately pressed the button on the ring on her right middle finger.

“Oh? Well, I never guarded important people. They said I’m careless.” Kyungsoo said, waiting for Junmyeon’s voice to come from the hidden communication device on her earing. Kun explained that if they get a clue as to where Chaeyoung was, all they need to do is to press the button on the identical rings he’d given them and wait for the confirmation coming from Junmyeon – who’s waiting around the perimeter, waiting for the signal to enter. Kyungsoo didn’t think it was this easy. Who knew all she needed was a noisy watch girl and they’re done.

 _“Got it. We’ll be there in ten.”_ Junmyeon said over the communication line.

“So, where’d you leave her?” Kyungsoo started, looking at the girl. “I mean, someone has to watch over her now that you’re here, right?”

“Actually, we left her alone.” The girl smiled sheepishly. “She’s only nearby and we told ourselves that we could use a break so we went here. My partner’s holding the key, though. He said that I might lose it but I don’t know where he is.”

Jackpot.

“Let’s just hope your boss won’t find out.” Kyungsoo said as she patted the girl’s shoulder. “I better be going. I think my boyfriend’s calling for me.”

“Okay. See you later?” the girl sheepishly waved.

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo waved back as she jogged to the back of the crowd. She went to the stairs, slowly walking up towards the second floor. Baekhyun was already there, waiting by the corner with his arms open. Kyungsoo ran to him and they wrapped their arms on each other. There were other couples there and it was just the perfect place to talk among themselves. They stayed huddled together for a while, talking in hushed voices, avoiding the rest of the world.

“I locked every door, window, exit and entrance in the warehouse.” Baekhyun whispered lowly next to Kyungsoo’s ear.

“How about the front?” Kyungsoo asked, slowly picking the key ring from Baekhyun’s back pants pocket.

“Can only be opened from outside.” Baekhyun said, snuggling closer. “Jongin’s gone to recon. He found a locked warehouse west from here. He couldn’t teleport inside because he doesn’t know the layout. It’s the only locked warehouse in the area.” Kyungsoo nodded, finally getting the key ring loose without anyone seeing her take it. They parted and looked at each other with a smirk.

“Ready to wreak havoc?”

“You know I am, Soo.”

A loud boom from the gambling table made the whole warehouse rock and everyone started to panic. It was Minseok initiating the plan. His voice echoed through the warehouse, telling everyone that they’re not going to get hurt if they follow they’re instructions. Kyungsoo ran alongside Baekhyun towards the cage in the middle of the room downstairs and Baekhyun helped Kyungsoo stand on top of the cage, overlooking everyone. She took out her video recorder and began recording everyone’s various reactions.

“Every entrance and exit in this place is sealed off and I have the keys.” She said, holding up the key ring she got from Baekhyun, who disappeared to go get Jongdae. “No one leaves until we say so.” The crowd began to run and bang on the doors, attempting to get out. They screamed profanities at Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo couldn’t care less about what they were saying. “Better find a place to hide. The police are coming.”

“Hey! You’re the girl earlier!”

“Thanks for the tip.” Kyungsoo winked at the girl. “Thanks to you, we found the person we’re looking for.”

“What the hell?!” the girl shrieked, shaking the cage in attempt to get to Kyungsoo. The others followed suit, trying to reach up to grab Kyungsoo’s shoes and jeans. Thanks to Kyungsoo’s stable ground, she wasn’t shaken one bit. At some point, the people at the ground started climbing up.

“Who the hell are you?!” the same girl screamed. Kyungsoo just shrugged her shoulders.

“Someone that _you people_ should know better than to provoke and annoy.” She smirked. “We’re dangerous.” she said, leaning down. The girl reached up and was about to grab Kyungsoo’s hair.

But she stopped when the doors opened and Chanyeol, Junmyeon, Sehun and Yixing strode in, all of them wearing the smuggest expression Kyungsoo had seen on them.

“Get your hands away from her, kid.” Chanyeol towered over the girl who was trying to get Kyungsoo. The girl scrambled to her feet along with the others as they ran away, trying their best to avoid Chanyeol and the new comers, who all exuded a, somewhat, psychotic aura around them – the sight of Junmyeon carrying a bat with iron rods protruding from it was greatly contributing to the thought (Kyungsoo was thinking of what made Junmyeon look like that when she couldn’t even flick their foreheads). Yixing and Sehun locked the front doors. Junmyeon and Yixing split ways while Sehun stayed in front of the doors, guarding it.

“Wow, I didn’t know you had it you.” Kyungsoo said to Chanyeol as he carried her down from the top of the cage.

“Well, now you see what I turn into when someone messes with me.” Chanyeol smirked as he flipped his reddish-orange hair back – orange means that he’s confident.

“I thought you were in the middle of a race?” Kyungsoo asked as he continued filming the terrorized people in the corner of the room.

“Jaehyun’s taking over. I think he’s going to win. The others are wimps. They don’t stand a fucking chance. Besides, that race is only a cover up, right? If something happens to Chaeyoung, I’m murdering all thirteen Heads of Seventeen Carats.” Kyungsoo raised her brow at Chanyeol. It was the first time Kyungsoo was hearing Chanyeol talk with that tone.

“What happened to your nose?” Kyungsoo asked, pointing at the bandage over Chanyeol’s nose.

“I got into a minor fight.” Chanyeol answered, brushing Kyungsoo off.

“Alright then.” She said as she watched Chanyeol walk towards the people at the corner.

A sudden ringing in the air made Chanyeol stop, Sehun alert and Kyungsoo turn towards the door. It was the sound that Kyungsoo has heard many times before but still sends shivers up her spine.

“Shit!” Chanyeol cursed as he ran towards the girl on the corner. Kyungsoo could hear him scream at the girl that knew where Chaeyoung is, demanding where the key was to the warehouse. She heard the girl cry out and say that she doesn’t know where her partner kept it. Chanyeol growled – a sound that Kyungsoo never heard from him before – as the people in white ran for their lives – Sehun had opened the doors to let them out – they have no use for any of them anyway.

“Chanyeol! They’re coming!” Kyungsoo shouted over the noise of everyone running and the sirens wailing in the air.

“Sehun, come with me! We’re ramming the doors open!” Chanyeol yelled as he and Sehun bolted out of the door.

“Wait!” Sehun stopped to look at Kyungsoo. “Give this to Chaeyoung when you get her! Tell her to give it to Jaehyun!” she threw the tape from the video recorder to Sehun and the younger caught it with his right hand before he dashed off to run after their Phoenix. Kyungsoo was left there to look for everyone else. She was about to bolt towards the direction of the gambling table but she stopped short when she felt the cool tip of a barrel against the back of her head.

“You’re not going anywhere, missy.”

Kyungsoo slowly raised her hands in the air, not needing to look back to see the uniformed SWAT member holding a gun to her head. He pushed her to go towards the open cage – the roosters were already long gone – and harshly pushed her on her knees.

“You’re staying here until we get the others.” He said as he locked the cage. A movement in the corner of Kyungsoo’s eyes made her smirk and slightly look back at the man, noticing that he was alone.

“Try me, bitch.”

The SWAT officer suddenly dropped the gun and dropped to the floor.

Kyungsoo looked back and saw Baekhyun holding the back of the officer’s uniform, a brass knuckle in his hand.

Before Baekhyun could get the key from the back pocket of the man, more SWAT officers came rushing in, pointing their guns on them. Baekhyun backed up until he touched the cage, standing in front of Kyungsoo.

“You know; this is the part where I question whose counterpart is who.”

“Yeah, I’d rather not have someone like you as my partner.”

“You hurt me, Soo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're talking.
> 
> NEXT UP: The fire case is opened, words can kill and mere appearance can scare people.


	18. YOONOH

“Be careful, Jae.” Yuta told him when he stepped out of the room to meet Chanyeol in the basement. It was already eleven in the evening and they only had two and a half hours left before the race.

“Yeah. You, too, hyung.” He said to the older before he walked towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. He went in and pressed the button for the basement parking area and when he got down, Chanyeol was already standing by the car with a worried expression on his face, eyes glued on the concrete floor.

“What’s that face for?” Jaehyun couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol glanced at him before returning his gaze to the ground. “I feel like something’s up.”

“And what could that be?” Jaehyun raised a brow at the taller male.

“I can’t put my finger on it.” Chanyeol said as he looked up.

“We’ll talk on the car. We need to be there in an hour and a half because that’s what they said in the instructions.” Jaehyun entered the driver’s side of the car while Chanyeol entered the shotgun seat.

Jaehyun was starting to get along with Chanyeol really well. Unlike the others, Chanyeol seemed more approachable and more understanding – of course, other than Kyungsoo – and they have talked before; during the days they spent in Busan, Jaehyun came to trust Chanyeol for a bit and vice versa. Kyungsoo said that it was weird seeing the two of them together like that when they were talking. Strangely, also Minseok, the Frost bearer, has also started talking and following Jaehyun around and he doesn’t know why. He finds the older in the weirdest of places, doing the weirdest of things like talking to the phone in the middle of the forest behind the house or taking pictures of them – particularly Jaehyun and his counterpart. Once, he caught the older intensely staring at him from the terrace of the house in Busan.

“Jaehyun.” Chanyeol called from beside him. It only had been fifteen minutes since they drove out from the basement of the hotel they were staying at and since then, they had both been silent for the whole time.

“Yes, hyung?” Chanyeol had said that it was okay for Jaehyun to call him hyung since, technically, Jaehyun’s younger than him. The honorific came out naturally.

“The fire in Arizona,” Chanyeol started, keeping his eyes in front. “Was I really the one who caused it?”

Jaehyun raised a brow while still facing the road. “To be honest, I’m not so sure either.” He answered truthfully.

The fire was unnatural. Jaehyun knows because of Doyoung. Four days before Chanyeol had called for an extraction from Brisbane, Doyoung had been sent to Phoenix, Arizona to investigate on the fire. Unlike any of the other abduction cases of the other Guardians, Chanyeol’s had been the most disturbing – Yixing’s was just brutal; Kun had been the one sent to Yunnan to investigate and he found out who killed the poor old man and had them sentenced to death; they were paid gunmen so the hopes of tracing them back to their employer went with the wind. Doyoung hadn’t found out were the fire started and why it grew so fast and so big that it burned the entire forest in a matter of three hours – which is impossible, considering the size of the forest – but that hadn’t been the reason why Johnny found the case disturbing.

It was because there were no traces that Chanyeol had been in the area when the fire broke.

Chanyeol was off the face of the earth when it happened.

Jaehyun also found it odd that Chanyeol doesn’t remember being in Arizona – Kyungsoo had told him that Chanyeol came to her, saying that he doesn’t remember even _stepping foot_ anywhere _near_ the country. He said that yes, he was about to meet Kyungsoo, but he never planned to go to Arizona on his way to Colorado. The fact that the fire grew and spread like how it did makes it believable that it was made by something or _someone_ with unnatural abilities but the fact that, even with Johnny’s resources and Kun’s ability, they couldn’t find Chanyeol being anywhere in world during the event makes it impossible that he made it.

“It could be someone else with abilities like yours.” Jaehyun said to Chanyeol when he finished explaining what he got from Doyoung’s reports. “I mean, it’s not impossible.”

“Yeah, but I’m not so sure, Jaehyun. Look at this.” Chanyeol said, opening up his hand near Jaehyun. A tiny flame showed up in the middle of his palm and illuminated the area with bright light.

Jaehhyun was astonished, seeing the Phoenix’s fire for the first time. He had always wanted to see it first hand when he first joined NEO City. Johnny said that the Phoenix’s flames are unique because the Phoenix is capable of changing color every now and then. For Chanyeol, Kyungsoo always said that his flames were always orange and yellow. She said that she hasn’t seen him produce any different colored flames during the years she had spent with him. That’s why Jaehyun wasn’t expecting Chanyeol to produce a red flame.

Wait, red?

Doyoung said that red flames caused the fire.

“After what happened five years ago, when my…. when my partner…. died, my flames changed colors along with my hair.” Chanyeol said, his eyes glued on the red flame in his palm. Jaehyun looked at him through his peripheral vision. “Like my hair, it depends on my mood and what I’m feeling when I conjure up my ability. It ranges from yellow to really dark red, when I’m angry.” he explained. “Sometimes, I can even control the color.”

“Doyoung-hyung said that the starting flames were in a deep shade of red then it gradually toned down to the normal color of flames.” Jaehyun said, gripping to steering wheel tightly in thought. “There’s nothing natural in the world that could make red flames in a forest.”

“I know.” Chanyeol said. “I read the articles on the internet. That’s why I’m not sure if _I_ was the one who caused it because only I can make those flames.”

“Well, we have no idea to know for sure.” Jaehyun replied. “We’re still looking into it.”

Chanyeol was silent and he had been like that ever since. Even when they reached the venue, the place crowded with gang members and cars, Chanyeol hasn’t uttered a single word. Not even when Jaehyun left him to go to the bathroom.

“I don’t know, hyung.” Jaehyun said, talking to Johnny through the phone. He was already inside the bathroom when his leader called to check up on him. “I’m beginning to worry, to be honest.” He said.

“Kun’s still looking into it.” Johnny answered. “But it’s true that only he can make those flames but the fact that he doesn’t remember makes it a mystery.”

A light beeping disturbed the silent air around Jaehyun.

“Call you later, hyung.” He said to his leader before hanging up and walking out of the bathroom and towards the car, where Chanyeol was waiting. His earing was the one that was causing the beeping, indicating that someone wants to talk to him privately.

“Hello?”

“Jaehyun, how are you?” Doyoung’s voice came through the communication line.

“We’re alright. There’s a bunch of kids here that look like they have homework waiting in their houses.” Jaehyun rolled his eyes when one of the kids around sneered at him.

“Hyung, do I really have to race with these cowards?” Jaehyun whispered to the communication device in his right earing. He’s currently standing next to the car Yuta had made for the race, looking at everyone participating and he saw the people that he passed by before. “They looked at me for a brief moment and ran off, abandoning their car. There’s no fun in that at all.”

“They’re kids. What do you expect? And since when did you care about having fun on missions?” Doyoung answered. “I know they’re wimps but Youngho-hyung said that the race is only a cover up. We might as well play along for them not to notice that we already know their plan.”

“He just called me, aren’t you with him?”

“Nope. He’s still at the office. Taeil-hyung’s with him. I’m at home with Kun.”

“Oh, Okay. But seriously, this is an easy win.” Jaehyun said, looking around. All of a sudden, his breath hitched. He took an involuntary step back.

“Shit!”

“Jaehyun, what’s wrong?” He heard Doyoung’s concerned voice through the communication line. He wanted to answer, he really did but his mouth couldn’t move; only formulate sounds that made Doyoung even more worried.

“Yoonoh.” Doyoung called. “Yoonoh, what’s wrong?!”

“H – hyung.” Jaehyun finally uttered out. “I think I know who are the people who ordered to capture Chaeyoung. It was so obvious! I didn’t even notice it!”

“What? What do you mean? Kun said that the people who ordered her abductions called off from the race. He said that they’re probably looking for Chaeyoung right now.” Doyoung said in a hurry, as if he was racing down the stairs.

“No, hyung. You don’t understand.” Jaehyun said in fear, opening the driver’s side door and jumping inside, startling Chanyeol, who was still sitting at the shotgun seat.

“What’s going on?” he heard the taller ask, sitting properly in his seat. Jaehyun removed his earing and placed it on the slot in the dashboard, making the communication line go to loud speaker with enough volume for Chanyeol to hear.

“Hyung, I know who they are.” Jaehyun said, looking around to make sure that no one is near them.

“Who, Jaehyun?” Kun’s voice came through. Doyoung must’ve directed the line to him that’s why he sounded like he was running earlier.

“Hyung, I saw _her._ ” Jaehyun hissed, keeping his voice low.

“I kind of need you to be specific, here.” Kun said, the sound of typing in a keyboard was heard in the background.

“I saw _her,_ hyung.” Jaehyun sneered at the window. “I fucking saw _Park Sooyoung._ ”

Something fell and crashed on the ground on Kun’s side of the line.

“Shit. This is bad.” Kun cursed, the sounds of typing increased.

“Who’s Sooyoung?” Chanyeol asked, looking confused.

Jaehyun turned to him. “Sooyoung is someone you don’t want to mess with. If she’s here, then there’s no doubt that her boss is here, too.”

“Her boss? Who are they?” Chanyeol asked.

“Bae Joohyun,” Jaehyun said. “is fucking terrifying.” He hissed. “She’s a snake. You would never expect her to do the things she’s doing if you see what she looks like.”

“You may know her as Irene, the model.” Kun said, sounding like he was dropping papers on the floor.

“Wait, Irene? The judge from that famous modeling stage?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened when Jaehyun nodded at him.

“She doesn’t look like a bad guy, right?” Jaehyun said. “But she’s a monster. She _kills_ people. If my prediction is right and that she’s part of the people who took your sister, there’s a chance that Chaeyoung wouldn’t even make it out alive even if we get to her on time. You’ve probably already met them in your previous encounters, even.”

“This situation just keeps getting worse and worse by the minute.” Kun hissed, typing furiously. “We need to get Chaeyoung out of this, quick.”

“What does this have to do with my sister?” Chanyeol asked, his attention fully on Jaehyun.

“The fact that Sooyoung is here makes the situation more complicated. Sooyoung never goes to events like these without a reason. The reason is usually when she’s looking for someone really important. Like, _really_ important.” Jaehyun said, looking around to see if they’ve spotted them.

“Like you?” Chanyeol asked, pointing at Jaehyun.

“No, _more_ important than me. I was never a target but Youngho-hyung had always been on top of their list because, obviously, he’s NEO City’s head and he’s the CEO of a big Group.” Jaehyun answered and pointed at Chanyeol. “ _You_ , hyung, are part of the _Guardians_. You fit their profile for targets! You are at the very top of her list! She’s here to _get you_ before you go and take the only person that could easily bring you to them; your sister.”

“Me?” Chanyeol pointed at himself. “How do they even know about the plan?”

“They know everything, hyung.” Jaehyun said. “They know _everything._ Who you are, what you can do, where you’ve been and what you ate. _Everything._ ”

“How do you know that?”

“I used to be a part of them.”

At that, Chanyeol’s eyes widened as he backed up, looking at Jaehyun with an expression that suggests that he doesn’t want to believe what he just said. Jaehyun sighed and leaned back against his seat, looking up front.

“I killed before.” Jaehyun said in a low voice. “I killed _more_ times than you could imagine a nineteen year-old could do.”

“Yoonoh.” Kun’s soothing voice came through the communication line.

“He needs to know, hyung.” Jaehyun closed his eyes. “He needs to know who are after him, his family, his friends and his sister. In order to do that, he needs to know me.”

“I’ll cut the lines.” Kun said, the sound of typing coming back. “We don’t want Yuta-hyung and Doyoung to hear this.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

The first time Jaehyun met Johnny wasn’t actually ideal. The image of what he did to Johnny and Taeyong when he was sixteen is still vivid in his mind – like someone engraved it on his brain, forcing him to remember every little detail of what he did. It had been three years since then but Jaehyun still regrets and remembers everything.

He tried to kill brutally Johnny and made Taeyong witness everything.

It wasn’t something he was proud of. Johnny wouldn’t be alive if he made that last cut through his skin. If Jaehyun had continued to push the knife through Johnny’s chest, if he hadn’t listened to him, if he had followed the rules they had given him, Johnny would be dead and he would be inside a jail cell or he would’ve been sentenced to death for killing the heir to the Suh empire.

Before he joined NEO City, Jaehyun had been a killer.

He worked alongside Park Sooyoung and Bae Joohyun.

When Jaehyun was a baby, he was placed in an orphanage. He grew up in a nice home with better people alongside lots of other kids. There were kids older than him, kids younger than him, kids as old as him. He liked every one of them and they liked him. For thirteen years, he lived with good people that treat him nicely.

Until the orphanage burned down because he fucking played with a fucking candle.

Jaehyun _knew_ , he really, _really did know,_ that he blew that candle off before he went to bed but they all blamed him for the fire because he had been the last to touch flames. The owner of the orphanage, Park Yoochun, died, along with a few kids and other helpers around the house. Jaehyun and a bunch of other kids survived. They all got moved to another orphanage – all of them got sent there together – and they had new sitters, new things, new faces to know, new kids to grow with and new people to meet. It was supposed to be a nice new home. The others adjusted.

Jaehyun didn’t.

Ever since the fire, the kids he grew up with started to despise him. They bullied him, threw things at him, played with his things and shouted mean things at him like, “If you weren’t so careless, the others would still be here!” or “If you just followed that single rule, Chun-appa would still be here!”.

At first, Jaehyun tolerated them; he paid them no mind, only accepting that the fire was his fault. Until a year later, when one of them got out of hand and Jaehyun lost his temper.

He killed a sixteen-year-old kid with a fork when he was thirteen and a half.

They all saw him. Every kid at the orphanage saw what he did. Their sitters were out at that time and Jaehyun didn’t know what to do so he ran. He ran away from that orphanage and ran away from that town. He never looked back.

“Park Sooyoung was the one who found me almost three months later.” Jaehyun said. “She took me to Joohyun and they took care of me and gave me shelter and food. But, to pay for all those things, I needed to help them. Joohyun is their leader. They are only four in their small group of killers: Joohyun, Seungwan, Seulgi and Sooyoung. Aside from Joohyun and Sooyoung, I haven’t met the other two in person but I know their voices by heart. They’re ruthless and they feel no remorse for anything they’ve done. I participated in espionage and provided aids. Our targets are always important people around the world and Joohyun always lures them in while I finish the job.”

“So you killed people for them?” Chanyeol asked, voice low. Jaehyun nodded, keeping his eyes on the room of the car.

“I became a murderer from the moment I slit that kid’s throat with a fork, so I thought that it was nothing compared to that. What else could I lose? The last mission I did for them was to kill Youngho-hyung.” Jaehyun’s voice cracked. “It was going well for me at that time, I was on a streak, so I accepted and followed Youngho-hyung around. Joohyun couldn’t get close to him because he was always protected so I got close to Taeyong-nonna, therefore making me close to Youngho-hyung. The day I was supposed to kill him was the day I changed; Youngho-huyng knocked me out of my senses.”

_“Wait, before…. you kill me. Answer me this.”_

_“What do you want?”_

_“You’re Jung Yoonoh, right?”_

_“No, I’m Jay.”_

_“That’s not…. your real name. They gave you that…. when you started…. working for them.”_

_“No! I made my own name!”_

_“Your name is…. Jung Yoonoh but your… your mother named you ‘Jaehyun’, right? That’s why you named yourself after that.”_

_“What the hell? How do you know that!?”_

_“Yoochun-hyung… told me.”_

_“…”_

_“I know who you are, Jaehyun. This…. persona of yours…. is not you. They gave you…. this life. You can…. change.”_

“Then he dropped dead in front of me and Taeyong-noona screamed at me from where I tied her up – by the post in the corner of the room.” Jaehyun huffed, his heart aching. “It was the first time someone told me something about my mother and about Yoochun-appa. I was frozen; I couldn’t move after what he said and I did nothing until Taeil-hyung came with special forces, busting through the door and they dragged me out. I was kept in prison for half a year – Joohyun left me to rot in prison after she found out that I couldn’t finish the job – before Youngho-hyung, barely recovering from the hospital, visited me and bailed me out. Taeyong-noona almost killed him and she almost killed me, too.

Yuta-hyung and the others doesn’t know how I got into prison in the first place. All they know is that I did something – probably killed someone. The only one that knows about this are Youngho-hyung, Taeil-hyung, Kun-ge and Taeyong-noona. No one else needs to know what I did to need Youngho-hyung’s constant attention turned towards me. My patience is really long but once I blow, I can kill anyone. Younho-hyung helped me control myself and that’s when I joined NEO City. Joohyun has never contacted me ever since but I know she still kills people and I heard they added another person in their group shortly after I was jailed and it’s a guy, too. He’s like me; they make him do all the dirty work but there’s a rumor that he’s too soft so someone in their group is partnering up with him.”

Chanyeol was silent. Jaehyun thought he was processing what he just said. Jaehyun bit his lip, debating deeply if he should tell the taller the last bit of information he hid from everybody else about Joohyun and her team. He sighed, thinking that Chanyeol has the right to know everything.

“Hyung, there’s also something else you need to know. Only Youngho-hyung knows this; no one else.”

“What is it?”

Chanyeol looked at Jaehyun with his head tilted in confusion. Jaehyun took a deep breath and looked at Chanyeol’s eyes.

“Joohyun is working for _them._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omphh! That's that.
> 
> NEXT UP: Chanyeol get angry and he gets angrier. Nothing will get in his way - except for Baekhyun, maybe.


	19. CHANYEOL

Never in Chanyeol’s life did he run so fast.

After feeling his ring vibrate – a signal that they’ve found Chaeyoung – he drifted the car to the side and yanked his seatbelt off before pushing the door of the driver’s seat open and stepping outside. The race had started a little more than half an hour ago and Chanyeol has already gotten the message from the others. He and Jaehyun were currently in the lead and the other teams were far behind them.

“Remember, hyung,” Jaehyun had said to him while Chanyeol watched him crawl to the driver’s seat. “Whatever you do, don’t run into Joohyun or any of the girls. Don’t let them get you. If you see a woman following you, run.”

“I will. Stay safe, Jaehyun.” Chanyeol nodded at the younger.

“You, too, hyung.” Jaehyun replied right before he dashed off to continue the race. Chanyeol, on the other hand, ran towards the direction of the gathering. It wasn’t far from where Jaehyun had dropped him off and Chanyeol was more than capable of running all the way to the venue.

_“I better be going. I think my boyfriend’s calling for me.”_

Chanyeol halted to a jog when he heard Kyungsoo’s voice come from the earing he was wearing – it was Jaehyun’s other earing, the one that was identical to the others and not the one connecting him to Doyoung. Jaehyun’s earing was different from the others, though, since it doesn’t let him speak to the others – it was one sided; he could hear the conversation but they couldn’t hear him.

 _“Baekhyun.”_ Kyungsoo whispered as Chanyeol continued to jog towards the venue.

 _“Hey, love.”_ Baekhyun answered. Chanyeol involuntarily let out a low sound from the back of his throat.

_“Please don’t call me that.”_

_“Aww, you love me.”_

_“I like all of you and you know that I like Jongdae more than you.”_

_“He’s your counterpart, he doesn’t count.”_

_“Who said that he doesn’t count?”_

_“Me. Plus, we both know who that guy likes.”_

_“Duh? I am his counterpart, after all, and it’s quite obvious.”_

_“And we both know who you like, too.”_

_“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”_

_“Aww, you love me, right, Soo?”_

Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo sigh.

_“Unfortunately, I do.”_

“Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are together?” Chanyeol blurted out, face contorting to a frown. It hadn’t been part of the plan that they would be together so Chanyeol was making unnecessary conclusions in his mind. If they _are_ together, why hadn’t Bakehyun told him? They promised that they would tell each other everything since they are each other’s best friends. Though, Chanyeol doesn’t recall Baekhyun telling him something about someone he likes, back when they hadn’t separated yet.

“Baekhyun has a lot of explaining to do.” He hissed, not knowing why he became so angry after hearing Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s, supposedly private, conversation. He ripped the earing off, not wanting to hear more – he was so, _goddamn,_ furious and he didn’t know why – and he continued to jog until his pace hastened to a run. That was how he found himself standing in front of a large warehouse fifteen minutes later, panting and angry at the sight he was looking at – he had stopped by the main warehouse earlier.

The warehouse was big – Jongin came to him earlier when he saw him running and told which one was containing his sister before teleporting towards the main warehouse where the others were – and it looked like it had seen better days. The front doors were locked when he got there and he cursed at the girl earlier, who told him that the key was with her partner.

“Shit!” Chanyeol cursed – for the first time in forever – as he banged on the door. The sirens in the air started getting closer and closer until Chanyeol heard cars skid to a stop, indicating that the SWAT teams were there already. Chanyeol was really tempted to use his ability to melt the iron but there were people around – people dressed in white, screaming at the top of their lungs as they ran for their lives, trying their best to avoid Chanyeol, with fear in their eyes – and he didn’t want to risk getting seen with his ability. Jongin was never seen teleporting around the area since he made sure to teleport in the dark shadows around them. Plus, Chanyeol could lose control and set the place on fire. It was the Arizona fire all over again – _if_ he really _did_ cause that.

“Hyung!” Sehun had called from behind him and made him look back, seeing the younger run towards him.

“We need to find another way around it!” Chanyeol said, fumbling with the lock. “I tried everything.” He turned to Sehun. “Any ideas?”

“We can run around. Maybe there’s another entrance or something.” Sehun said and Chanyeol nodded.

“I’ll take left.” Chanyeol said. “You’ll take right.”

“Okay.” Sehun nodded and they both scurried off to find another entrance.

Chanyeol turned and ran the opposite of Sehun and began looking around like a chicken. A blast rang through the air, causing Chanyeol to turn and look at where it came from. It came from the main house, yellow flames danced tall in the air and illuminating the whole area. Chanyeol could smell burning money – he knows how it smells like because he burned some when he was a kid; the punishment Jaeyoung gave was still worse than anything he’s experienced – and he could hear deep voices shouting commands over each other.

“Sehun, there’s nothing here, how about you?!” he shouted, while turning back, still trying to find an entrance to the warehouse.

A couple of minutes later, Sehun came running towards him again, this time, with a slight smile.

“I found a window on the other side. With a boost, I think you could enter through!” he said, pulling Chanyeol towards the area he’d been scouting earlier. They ran for a couple of minutes before they came to a window that was big enough for Chanyeol’s body to fit through.

“I’ll push you up, hyung.” Sehun said as he placed his hands in front of him, gesturing Chanyeol to step on his hands. Chanyeol nodded and stepped up, reaching the window with ease after Sehun pushed him up with all his might. He opened the window and used his arm strength to pull himself up, successfully getting inside the warehouse. He peered down on Sehun, telling him to go back with the others as he takes Chaeyoung out. Sehun threw him a video tape right before he dashed off, telling him to give it to Chaeyoung.

“Chaeyoung?” he called, as he turned around, surveying the area.

His breath hitched when he looked up.

Chaeyoung hanging by a rope in the middle of the room.

“Chaeyoung!” he yelled as he ran down from where he was standing. He panicked, seeing his sister unconscious and unmoving. He tried calling her name again, in hopes of waking her up. She stirred slightly but she didn’t regain consciousness.

A plan suddenly formulated in Chanyeol’s head. The only problem was: he only has one chance. If he misses, his sister could end up burning or she could end up falling to her death.

Chanyeol steadied himself, preparing to shoot a small fireball towards the rope to cut his sister free so that he could catch her from the bottom. It was quite a long fall and Chanyeol needed time running from the side to the middle of the room. All of a sudden, sirens wailed the air – it was different from the SWAT cars’ siren – and it made Chanyeol pale. Helicopter sounds suddenly hovered above the warehouse and the sound of footsteps on the roof started to become louder and louder.

Wasting no more time, Chanyeol shot a red – he was getting angry – fireball in the air and immediately ran under her sister when the fireball hit its target and successfully cut the rope, making Chanyeol run and Chaeyoung fall into his arms.

“O – oppa?” Chaeyoung stirred in Chanyeol’s arms as he untied the rope around his sister’s wrists.

“It’s okay, Chae. I’m here. We’re going to get you out.” He said again and again, reassuring both him and his sister that they were going to get out together.

“Can you run?” Chanyeol asked, pulling Chaeyoung on her feet.

“Y – yeah, I think so.” She said, standing up on her own but holding Chanyeol’s hand for support.

“Alright, let’s go.” As if on cue, the front doors banged open – the SWAT officers rammed it down – and Chanyeol gripped his sister’s hand tighter as they both broke into a run, dodging the officers that tried to get to them.

“Hyung, turn on your com line!” Jongin, who was by the room of a warehouse that they passed by, yelled at him as he battled with the officers that landed on the roof via the helicopters that hovered around them, their spotlights on Chanyeol and Chaeyoung. Chanyeol hastily reached for the earing in his pocket and did as he was told. He was immediately bombarded with instructions coming from Kun.

“Yuta-hyung was supposed to do this but for some reason, I can’t contact him.” Kun said, a bit frantic. “You’re wearing Jaehyun’s earing, right? I just programmed it to be like the others’. You can talk to me now.”

“I got Chaeyoung. Where should we go?” he asked, seeking shelter behind a small warehouse as they let officers pass by without getting noticed. The helicopter that was trailing them lost them both.

“There’s a car in front of the main warehouse. Jongin-ssi disabled the driver and you’re free to use it – don’t ask what he did to the diver. Head north and Jaehyun should be waiting in a small motel. Sehun-ssi would be driving a similar car due South to confuse the officers.” Kun instructed.

Chanyeol looked at Chaeyoung and saw that she was terrified, tightly gripping Chanyeol’s hand and arm with white knuckles. The sight made Chanyeol angry at the people who took her and at himself for letting them take her from under his nose.

“How much farther away are we from the car?” Chanyeol asked, shielding Chaeyoung away from the officers that found them. He growled, eyes narrowing while suppressing his urge to burn them all to the ground.

“About half a kilometer.”

“Tell Sehun to get ready.”

“Chaeyoung, don’t let go.” Chanyeol said and felt Chaeyoung’s grip on his hand tighten as they dashed off, running through the officers and avoiding everyone. They entered the main warehouse in minutes and was greeted by the sight of Junmyeon and Minseok violently fighting off officers with a large pile of money was burning behind them. He marveled at how they worked even with the heat coming from the burning pile.

“The car’s in front of the warehouse! Hurry before they catch up!” Junmyeon yelled at him, as Minseok protected her from a blow from an officer. Chanyeol and Chaeyoung continued to run, passing by Jongdae holding a sledgehammer as he backed up the wall, glancing at Chanyeol with a look that told him to continue and not go back for him.

“Yah! Get me out from here!”

Chanyeol stopped abruptly, causing Chaeyoung to bump against his back. He looked at the side, seeing Kyungsoo inside a large cage and Baekhyun on the outside of the said cage, fighting off officers.

“You’re better in there, Soo. At least you’re protected from these guys.” Baekhyun huffed, pushing one officer to the ground.

“I am more than capable of helping you, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo panted as she grabbed a nearby officer and banged him against the metal bars of the cage. “I can do much more if I’m actually _outside_ the cage.”

All of a sudden, Jongdae and Kyungsoo’s voices echoed through the whole warehouse, causing Chanyeol sprint and look if Kyungsoo was alright.

“Kyungsoo, what’s wrong?” he yelled as he clutched his sister’s hand and ran towards Baekhyun and Kyungsoo – Kyungsoo was on the ground, clutching her stomach.

“Chanyeol?!” Baekhyun gasped. “What are you still doing here?!” he punched an officer in the face.

“Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol ignored Baekhyun – who was shocked that he was ignored by his best friend for the first time in his life – and went to Kyungsoo, gripping the metal bars tight. He momentarily let go of his sister’s hand but her grip was still tight on his clothes from behind, so Chanyeol knows that she’s not going anywhere.

“I – it’s not me.” Kyungsoo huffed, coughing out blood and making Baekhyun and Chanyeol gasp loudly. “I – It’s Jongdae.” She coughed again, looking up at Chanyeol with one eye squeezed shut and the other half open, as if she was struggling to open it. Kyungsoo stared at him for a while – Chanyeol though there was something on his face – before she screamed again and fell limp on the hard ground with a dull thud, the sound of Jongdae’s scream fading in the background.

“Chanyeol, what are you still doing here? Take your sister and go!” Baekhyun roughly shoved Chanyeol out of the way of officers that wanted to hit him. “I’ll take care of her! Go!” Chanyeol grabbed hold of his sister again and ran, looking back long enough to see Baekhyun stand in between an unconscious Kyungsoo and SWAT officers with a determined expression on his face. He growled like an animal, standing protectively in front of Kyungsoo.

“There!” Chaeyoung yelled when they got out of the warehouse – there were oddly no officers stationed in front – and they both jogged towards it and boarded, Chanyeol immediately starting the engine and dashing off north.

“Shit, my earing fell when me bumped into those officers.” Chanyeol cursed as he looked back, surprised that no officers were chasing after them. “This is messed up.” he said, looking up front. “ _They_ are after us, they used SWAT teams to clear us out, Jongdae and Kyungsoo are hurt and unconscious and we’re still missing a member.” He hissed.

“I’m sorry, oppa.” Chaeyoung cried from the shotgun seat.

“What for?” Chanyeol asked, speeding up on the dark road – they were in the middle of nowhere and the isolation was slowly starting to get to him – hearing the sounds of chaos fading behind them.

“You just got your friends back and you lost them again, because of me.” Chaeyoung buried her face on her hands, softly crying.

“They’ll get out.” Chanyeol said firmly. “I know they can.” He said as he ruffled Chaeyoung’s hair.

“But-,”

“You don’t know what happens when Junmyeon-noona gets angry, Chae.” Chanyeol cut her off with a smile. “Trust me, you don’t want her to get angry. There’s no doubt that she heard Kyungsoo’s and Jongdae’s cries and went ballistic; she probably felt their pain, too. She could take out an army by herself if she’s in that state.”

“She could do that?” Chaeyoung sniffed, looking at Chanyeol. “She’s your leader, right?”

“Yep – shit!”

Chanyeol skidded the car to a halt after seeing the headlights and officers lined up in front of them, blocking their way. Chanyeol started backing up, only to be blocked by other cars and officers. He looked in front and saw the same man that had Junmyeon in a head lock a few months ago. Chanyeol sneered, hands gripping the wheel tightly.

“Hand the girl over, freak!” the man said with a megaphone, his husky voice echoing through the area and making Chanyeol cringe.

“Hey! He-,” Chanyeol placed a hand over Chaeyoung’s mouth to prevent her from speaking.

“They don’t know that we’re related.” Chanyeol whispered. “If they know that you’re my sister, they’ll take you, too, thinking that you have the same abilities as me.”

“But-,”

“Shush. They thought that we took you so they’re here to rescue you.”

“I already got rescued.” Chaeyoung whispered, keeping her head low.

“They don’t know that.” Chaneyol hissed, looking outside where the officers started to advance towards them. “Just let them take you.” Chanyeol said and looked at Chaeyoung’s shocked expression. “Look, if I fight them, you’ll get hurt.”

“But if you don’t, they’ll take you!” Chaeyoung cried, tears started collecting in her eyes again.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Chanyeol said as he wiped the tears that fell down on his sister’s cheeks. “It’s better than you getting hurt. Besides, I told you that the others will get out, right? They’ll come for me.”

“Where will I go if you’re not here?” Chaeyoung sobbed.

“There are people that will help you. I have a plan if ever this situation happened. They’ll find you and take care of you.”

“How do I know if they’re the ones you entrusted me to?”

“Ask for their names. Seo Youngho, Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, Qian Kun, Kim Dongyoung and Jung Yoonoh. Don’t talk to anyone else. Everything related to me is deleted in all your files. You’re going to be alone for a while but they’ll come for you, okay?” Chaeyoung reluctantly nodded before hugging Chanyeol tightly. “I’ll come back for you. I always will.”

“Get out, you monster!”

“Bye, Chaeyoung.” Chanyeol kissed the top of Chaeyoung’s head.

He stepped out of the car, slowly walking towards the center of the circle the officers made in front of him and the car. He pocketed his hands, feeling the tape graze his fingers, as he sneered at the man in front of him before he felt hands roughly grab him from behind and pulled him back. Chanyeol glanced at Chaeyoung before he was pushed down against the hood of the car, giving her a silent message. He couldn’t do anything as the officer behind him cuffed his hands tightly, his head being harshly grinded to the metal surface of the hood. He held the tape tightly in his hands, sighing in success when the officer didn’t notice it. He felt hands – too soft and small to be an officer’s hand – briefly touch his own before he released his hold on the tape. After Chaeyoung had taken it and was escorted out by another officer, clutching the tape tightly in her hands – not looking back because Chanyeol had ordered her not to when they had their talk earlier – Chanyeol’s head was banged harshly against the hood again and it made his vision swim, making everything around him blurry.

The very last thing he saw was a mirror; he saw himself in front of him – head pressed against the hood of the car, same face, same clothes. He was banged up, he had blood on his pale skin and grease on his hair orange hair. Overall, he looked awful.

He doesn’t remember having any injuries on his face, though, and he _definitely_ _doesn’t_ have a bandage over his nose.

He passed out after seeing his face break into a wide smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm? Hmm? Hmm????
> 
> NEXT UP: A very, very cliche backstory and a new mystery.


	20. JUNGWOO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice: I edited the summary because a friend of mine said so.
> 
> Please, do consider leaving Kudos and Comments hehehehe

Jungwoo sighed for the nth time that morning.

“Chenle, please put Jisung down.” He pleaded, practically begging on his knees. “You might hurt yourself _and_ Jisung.” He said.

“But he likes it. Right, Jisung?” Chenle looked down at the child in front of him.

“Yep!” Jisung happily answered, bouncing in Chenle’s arms.

“Can you at least go down from the second floor and play here, where I can keep an eye on you?” Jungwoo pleaded. Chenle looked down at Jisung and whispered something on his ear. When they both looked at Jungwoo, they nodded and both slowly walked down the stairs.

“Don’t get in trouble, alright?” Jungwoo patted Chenle’s and Jisung’s heads before he ruffled their hair.

“We won’t!” Chenle happily answered before walking towards the backyard, where most of the kids were. Jungwoo let out a sigh of relief.

“I see you’re getting into the childcare business.”

Jungwoo looked around and saw Taeyong walking down the stairs in a comfortable casual attire. Jungwoo knew that she was going out to meet Jinki so they could carry all the groceries they were going to buy later.

“Well, I can’t help it.” Jungwoo said, looking at the kids in the backyard. Technically, some of them weren’t kids anymore, but they _all_ act like children, Jungwoo included.

“I was like that when I was around your age.” Taeyong ruffled Jungwoo’s dark hair as she, too, looked at the kids outside. “Except, the people I was babysitting were Youngho, Yuta and occasionally Taeil-oppa.” She said.

“They never grew up.” Jungwoo blurted. “They’re still kids.” Taeyong laughed.

“You’re right.” She said, looking at her watch. “Well, I need go. Jinki-oppa said that there was an accident in the city so there’s traffic everywhere. I’m leaving you in charge, Jungwoo.” She called over her shoulder, waving at Jungwoo.

“Stay safe!” Jungwoo called after the retreating figure of his guardian.

“You, too!” Taeyong yelled before closing the door behind her. The distant sound of a car turning on and pulling away from the driveway and into the road was heard before Jungwoo was left in silence inside the house.

It’s been a while since he’s been in Taeyong’s care. The story how Jungwoo came to know Taeyong wasn’t really wasn’t something pleasant but wasn’t exactly as nasty as Mark’s or Yang Yang’s story. It did involve blood, though.

Before he was found by one of Taeyong’s agents, Jungwoo had been in another orphanage. It was a lot bigger than Taeyong’s because it wasn’t just an orphanage for people with special abilities. Jungwoo had been the only one inside that orphanage with powers and the only one who knew of the matter was the owner, Kim Junsu.

Junsu always encouraged Jungwoo to practice the use of his ability but he said that he shouldn’t let the others see it. Sometimes, Junsu and Jungwoo would stay up all night and Jungwoo would practice in the backyard, when everyone was sleeping. Junsu always made sure that no one was watching them – if they would wake up and saw the various floating objects in the air or if they saw Jungwoo, sometimes Junsu, walking upside-down in midair, whey would’ve freaked out and Jungwoo would’ve been hunted down by curious people that wants to know about him.

Jungwoo became aware of his ability to manipulate gravity when he accidentally fell from one of the many trees in the backyard of the orphanage he was in. No one had been there to see him since they were all watching a movie in the far corner of the second floor of the house and Jungwoo wasn’t interested in the movie in the slightest so he went out to read a book on one of the branches of the trees outside – he did that a lot and he got scolded a lot, too, but he always did it, anyway, since he had always been careful and not once did he fall.

Except for that time.

When he fell, he didn’t scream, he didn’t shout, he didn’t utter any noise. He just closed his eyes tight and braced himself for the impact, waiting for the pain to erupt in his body, indicating that his bones had cracked and was now broken. But it never came. Perplexed, Jungwoo peered open his eyes and saw himself floating in midair and two feet below him was the ground. He took a sharp intake of breath and he suddenly fell with a thud, his face buried in the leaves that fell from the tree.

At first, he thought he had the power to fly; he was ecstatic about it. The flight idea went out the window when Jungwoo touched a box that Junsu brought in and watched as the kids in the orphanage tried to carry the said box up but whatever they did, they couldn’t lift a box full of _cotton._ That was when he concluded that he had the ability to manipulate gravity. He was amazed that he could change various _laws of science_ in just one touch.

Junsu had found out about his ability when he walked in on Jungwoo walking upside-down in his bedroom. Jungwoo had been so startled that his concentration broke and he fell. Thankfully, Junsu was quick on his feet and ran to catch his little ten-year-old body without any hesitations. Ever since then, Junsu had been helping Jungwoo in mastering his ability.

When Jungwoo was five, Junsu promised Jungwoo that he will take him to meet his mother. He had showed him a picture of her when he first asked about her. He even joked that they didn’t look the same, at all. Junsu said that he knew her when they were kids and they had been friends ever since. Because his mother was busy, she entrusted Jungwoo to Junsu and promised that she would come back for her child when she’s done with her job. Jungwoo believed him immediately because Junsu let him read the letters he has been exchanging with his mother and most of them were about her asking how Jungwoo was. It progressed from the letters being addressed to Junsu to being addressed to Jungwoo in a matter of months.

_“How’s my baby boy?”_

_“You’re feeding him, right?”_

_“You better be or else I’m kicking your ass, Kim Junsu.”_

_“I can’t wait to see Jungwoo again!”_

_“What do you mean he got sick? I thought you’re taking care of him, Junsu!”_

_“Sorry about my outburst last month. He’s doing alright, right?”_

_“Really? He’s been reading our letters?”_

_“Hi baby! Mommy’s here, always watching you! Stay safe, alright?”_

_“Wow, you look so big in the picture already! I’m keeping this in my wallet.”_

_“When will I come back? I don’t know, baby. We’ll see each other soon, I promise.”_

He was seven when the last letter addressed to him came and it was his mother saying how much she loved him and how much she wanted to see him. Jungwoo waited until the next month for the next letter but it never came. Junsu said that his mother doesn’t send letters anymore since she’s too busy with work – Junsu said that she’s taking care of people, too. Jungwoo believed him but he still continued waiting. When he was nine and a half, he wanted to tell his mother that he has powers but Junsu said that it was probably best if Jungwoo didn’t tell her so he could surprise him when she finally gets to see him.

He learned later on that his mother died when he was seven, right after the last letter came. Junsu was just trying to make it seem that she was still alive in order not to break Jungwoo’s heart. Well, it was too late for that. Jungwoo has forgiven Junsu, anyways, since he always helped him with his ability and he always took care of him like a true father.

That was until the orphanage burned down.

Months before their house burned, miles away from them, there had also been another orphanage in South Korea that burned, too. The orphanage that was owned by Park Yoo-something.

The police said that the cases were not related because the other one was an accident and this wasn’t.

Cliché, huh?

Jungwoo _actually laughed_ when he heard about that.

Junsu died in the fire but all the kids and helpers got out. When the police investigated, Jungwoo overheard, Junsu was drugged and chained to the bathroom sink. That was why he didn’t get out. They said that he wasn’t the one who chained himself there and they concluded his death as a homicide. The only problem was that they didn’t have any evidences as to who might’ve killed him. Jungwoo had cried for the first time in a long time.

The only thing that survived the fire that belonged to both Junsu and Jungwoo was the picture of Jungwoo’s mother and Junsu, and all the letters that were sent to both of them. Up to the recent date, Jungwoo still keeps them all inside his room, opening them once in a while when he misses both his mother and Junsu.

Jungwoo was adopted at twelve, a year after the fire. He never showed or even used his ability ever since the last session he had with Junsu but he can still feel his ability’s energy coursing through his veins. At first, he didn’t want to go with the family that wanted to get him because he didn’t want to leave his friends behind and because the parents that took him gave him a weird vibe. When he was brought home to a nice apartment for eight, he thought that the weird vibe he got was just something that was short-lived since it was the first time he got adopted by anyone because back then, Junsu was making sure he stayed at the orphanage so that he could meet his mother one day. The feeling was gone when he entered the house. Jungwoo realized that the parents were good.

Jungwoo wasn’t the only child in the family. There were the Huang brothers: Yukhei, Guan Heng and Ren Jun. They were also adopted and they’re from China. They got along pretty well and they played together. Even though Jungwoo is a year older than both Yukhei and Guan Heng and is four years older than Ren Jun, they all went to school together – in different classes, of course. They were living a happy life with the four of them and their adoptive parents.

Until one day, two years after he was adopted, Jungwoo had walked in on their parents trying to kill each other.

Sometimes, Jungwoo is scared that something might happen to Taeyong and Jinki since something always happened when it involved him.

It had been in the middle of the night when Jungwoo heard screaming downstairs from his shared room with Ren Jun – Yukhei and Guan Heng shared another room adjacent to theirs. Ren Jun had been sleeping soundly in his own bed on the other side of the room when Jungwoo quietly walked out, tiptoeing towards the stairs. He quietly stepped down, the shouting voices getting louder and louder until Jungwoo saw his father holding a kitchen knife and pointing it at his mother. His father had his back turned towards him and he was looking at the ground, seemingly trying to calm down. Jungwoo caught his mother’s gaze and the pleading look she sent him made him quietly retreat back to his room and grab a sleeping Ren Jun, along with some pillows, and went to Yukhei and Guan Heng’s room. He locked them in, quietly using a table and a chair to block the door before going back to look at the confused faces of the three Chinese boys behind him.

“We’re staying here. No one goes out.” He whispered as he threw all the pillows and covers to the corner, telling the three boys to huddle under the covers, away from the door. The screaming intensified and it was followed by crashes and bangs from downstairs. The three caught on quickly. Ren Jun covered his ears as he curled against Jungwoo’s chest. Yukhei and Guan Heng did the same, curling against Jungwoo’s sides. Jungwoo hugged all three of them at once, whispering words every now and then. Eventually, the three of them fell asleep but not Jungwoo.

Almost an hour later, the police came banging on the bedroom door and told Jungwoo that everything was okay. He opened the door and all four of them were escorted out. The police officers made them avoid the kitchen at all costs. The three didn’t know what happened but Jungwoo saw it all.

There was blood everywhere. Their parents succeeded in killing each other. It was their neighbors that called the authorities. Their mother tried to stop their father from murdering them. If it weren’t for Jungwoo showing up when he did, their mother would’ve never put on a fight and their father might’ve killed all five of them. Until now, Jungwoo still doesn’t know why their parents killed each other.

They had been sent to the orphanage Jungwoo came from – all their belongings, including Jungwoo’s box of letters, were brought to them almost a week after the incident. After a month, someone adopted all four of them. That someone is Lee Jinki, Taeyong’s partner. That was how he met them. One of their agents found that he has an ability – that he doesn’t use – and told the two of them so, they picked him up. It was also then when Jungwoo found out that all three of the Huang brothers has abilities of their own. Though, they didn’t know yet and it’s not as strong as his own.

The four of them became the first kids in the house. Months later, Jeno and Donghyuck came, both of them instantly hitting off with Ren Jun. It was the same year when Mark, Taeyong, Jeno and Donghyuck’s cousin, showed up. Jungwoo heard about Mark’s abduction case and realized why the boy has always been cautious around him and his brothers since they were the ones Mark didn’t know yet. It took a while but, thankfully, Mark got to know all of them.

A year passed and Taeyong came home with a baby Jisung in her arms. Jungwoo was curious as to who Jisung was since their abilities usually show up at the age of five and above – Mark was the special condition. When Jungwoo asks about Jisung, Taeyong always says that Jisung is the son of a friend and that he should take care of him. Jungwoo did so everyday ever since.

Doyoung, Yuta, Taeil and Johnny visited them often, and once, Taeyong’s brother came and visited Taeyong and Jinki, as well as the kids. When Jaehyun first came to the house, Taeyong had a screaming competition with Johnny and Jungwoo and the others were escorted up to their rooms by Taeil and Yuta. It was Jungwoo that caused the two to break because he had panic attack from remembering what happened when he and his brothers were back at their previous home. Taeyong and Johnny kneeled in front of him that night, apologizing and making Jungwoo guilty.

One and a half years after Jungwoo was brought to Taeyong’s care, a guy that goes by the name of Huang Zitao came and was acquainted with his nephews, the Huang brothers. Jungwoo likes him a lot and ever since he learned about the Tree of Life and the Guardians, after learning that Zitao is one of them, Zitao often told him stories about the rest of the guardians. That was when he started practicing the use of his abilities again with the help of Zitao.

Literally days before Jungwoo turned sixteen, two years after he was sent there, Jisung’s mother came for the first time to celebrate Jisung’s second birthday. She left shortly after that. Since that day, Jungwoo had been expecting to see her every year, on her son’s birthday – She visits on normal days, too, but it had been a while since she last came. She’s nice; Jungwoo likes her.

He welcomed Jaemin and Chenle to the house three years after being in the house. Ever since Chenle saw Jisung, they couldn’t be separated even with chocolates and ice cream. It was the same with Ren Jun, Jeno, Donghyuck and Jaemin. It was in the same year that Zitao stopped visiting, months prior to Jaemin and Chenle’s arrival. Yang Yang walked through the doors with Kun a few months after that. He was quiet and reserved and he spent most of his time with the China-line but slowly, he adjusted and he was finally getting along with the others. Jungwoo also found out what happened to him. It was the same with Mark’s. He grimaced at that one.

“Hyung?”

“Hmm?” Jungwoo hummed, turning around to look at Mark, who was standing by the door of the kitchen. Jungwoo was cutting fruits for them while he remembered some memories.

“Do you need help?” Mark asked, stepping inside kitchen.

“It’s okay. I’m almost done.” Jungwoo said, plating the last of the apples before handing the plate of watermelon to Mark.

“Watermelon!” Mark cheered, taking the plate in his hands as he rushed outside, telling everybody about the presence of his favorite fruit. Jungwoo chuckled, momentarily forgetting that Mark’s already a teenager. He, too, went out with two plates of assorted fruits and went to follow after Mark on towards the backyard, where everyone was waiting patiently for him to walk out the door to join them.

“Min, you know the rules.” Jungwoo said when he came near. Jaemin was making his watermelon float in the air as he amazed the others with his gift in telekinesis. Even Jungwoo was amazed at him sometimes. “No using of abilities when eating.” He lightly scolded.

“Sorry, hyung.” Jaemin smiled sheepishly as he gently placed the melon down. Jungwoo smiled and told the others that they could start eating and minutes later, the three plates full of fruits was emptied.

Jungwoo loves taking care of the kids. Being the oldest among them all made him in charge when Jinki and Taeyong were out. Jungwoo was more than happy to look after them since he has gotten used to it after being there the longest and after watching them all grow.

“Alright, why don’t you all chill here for a while, okay?” Jungwoo smiled at everyone when they chorused “Yeah!” very loudly. He went back inside and prepared another plate of fruits, this time, just enough for only one person. He walked up the stairs, passing through the hallway and walked in front of the last door on the end, right next to his own room. He knocked on the wooden door and after hearing a confirmation from inside, he went in.

“You should really go out more.” He said as he closed the door behind him.

“Hush. It’s not like you go out of the house any more than I do.”

“At least I walk outside of my room.”

“I’m becoming old!”

“You and I are the same age, Chaeyoung.”

“Then, you’re old, too!”

Chaeyoung has been living with them for a while now. Her arrival was abrupt and it shook everyone inside the house, including Taeyong. Jaehyun had been the one to drop her off and he and Taeyong had a pretty lengthy conversation after that – it lasted for two hours. Chaeyoung didn’t have abilities, unlike the rest of them, and it made her feel unwanted. Of course, they all treated her well and slowly made her fit in with them.

“Thanks.” Chaeyoung smiled at Jungwoo when he gave the plate of fruits to her. “Where are the others?” she asked.

“They’re outside. Come on, you should socialize more.”

“….. Fine.”

When Chaeyoung first came to the house, she had been quiet and she mostly kept to herself. Slowly, she improved and the first person she ever talked to, aside from Taeyong, was Jungwoo. She had told him her story and about what her brother had told him, right before she was sent there. She also told him that her brother is Park Chanyeol, the Phoenix in the Guardians of the Tree of Life.

The same Guardians that disappeared from the face of the Earth almost two years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got a little back story here folks.
> 
> And a little bit of....... that.
> 
> Hmmm? Hmmm?? Hmmm???
> 
> NEXT UP: He's screaming, she's screaming, everyone's screaming. "Being happy isn't always good."


	21. JONGIN

Jongin was hazy when he woke up but he didn’t feel any physical pain. There was no indication that he has any wounds or anything of the sort. There was no ache around his body but there’s no numbness, either.

He felt _amazing._

He was lying on top of a hill overlooking a small town that looked like a painter dropped their palette over it by accident. Well, who was Jongin to critic? It looks nice, anyway. There were palm trees everywhere and the air felt light and breezy. The light from the sun felt warm on Jongin’s skin and if he were to be honest with himself, he wanted to stay there forever and relax – even though he literally just woke up – not thinking about literally anything at all. He doesn’t know how he got there but he was having the time of his life. It was like he was in a dream and he didn’t want to wake up. Everything felt perfect.

Everything was perfect.

Jongin laid back on the grass, looking at the sky. There were a few clouds here and there but there were no signs of rain coming any time soon. He was having the time of his life, relaxing and in heaven for the first time in a long time after…... after…… he didn’t know what he was talking about because someone called him from afar.

“Nini!”

Jongin whipped his head to the side at the call for his name and he saw Sehun running happily towards him with a large grin on his face. At the mere sight of his best friend, Jongin’s mouth curved up instantly. He propped his body on his elbows, looking at Sehun with a grin as wide as his best friend’s.

“Sehun!” he called too, waving his hand in the air. He stood and ran, meeting Sehun in the middle. They wrapped their arms around each other and squeezed.

“I was wondering where you were.” Sehun said when they separated. “We were waiting by the pond and when you didn’t show up, we looked for you.”

Jongin tilted his head to the side. The others were looking for him? He juggled his memories for a bit before remembering that they had agreed to meet at the small pond by the edge of the forest before the sun completely shines directly above them. Jongin must’ve forgotten about it and took a nap in the spot he woke up in.

Looking sheepish, Jongin rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. I dozed off and I didn’t wake up on time.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t completely true, either.

“That’s alright.” Sehun answered with a smile. “Come on, Junmyeon-noona might be losing her mind right now.” He turned and walked forwards.

Jongin followed behind him, looking at best friend and not really paying attention to anything else. He realized that Sehun’s hair is cropped short and dyed orange but Jongin doesn’t remember when his best friend dyed it. Sehun seemed taller, too, Jongin noticed.

“Are you alright, Nini?” Jongin hummed at the call. “You’ve been staring at me for at least a minute now.” Sehun said over his shoulder.

“Oh.” Jongin sheepishly laughed. “I was just admiring your orange hair.” He said with a smile.

“My hair? Have you seen _your_ hair?” Sehun stopped and turned around, pointing at Jongin’s head.

“What?” Jongin asked, confused. He reached up and touched the crown of his head, flinching when he felt rough clumps of hair instead of his usual soft strands.

“Dreads?” he asked, mostly to himself as his hand played with his hair.

“Yeah. You don’t remember when Chanyeol-hyung and Minseok-hyung said that your hair was too long and you said you didn’t want to cut it so they styled it?” Sehun tilted his head to the side.

“No.” Jongin’s brows furrowed. “No, I don’t.”

“That was, like, three days ago.” Sehun said, stepping towards Jongin. He placed a hand over Jongin’s shoulder and asked, “Are you alright? You’ve been forgetting stuff lately.” Jongin heard a worried tone in his voice.

“I – I don’t know.” Jongin answered truthfully. He shook his head. “Maybe I’m sleep deprived?” he said as he looked at Sehun’s eyes.

“That would make sense.” Sehun nodded, removing his hand. “I mean; you did sleep when we said that no one will be late in the meeting.” He chuckled, grabbing Jongin’s hand and lightly pulling him down the hill. “I’ll bring you to bed and you can rest.”

“What about the others?” Jongin asked, walking beside his best friend.

“I’ll tell them that you’re not feeling well.” Sehun smiled at him and led him towards one of the multicolored houses in the area.

“We can go meet them first.” Jongin suggested, feeling guilty that he made the others waste their time to look for him.

“No. _You_ will sleep, while _I_ go and gather them up. I’m sure they’ll understand.” Sehun opened the door to the house and pulled Jongin inside and up the stairs. Jongin vaguely remembered that his room was on the very end, right in front of Sehun’s own room, and that none of them shared rooms since there was enough bedrooms for everyone.

“You’ll stay here while I go tell the others.” Sehun said as he pushing Jongin down on his bed and tucked him in – in another day, Jongin would’ve smacked him best friend for treating him like a baby but he was becoming more tired by the second even though he had just woken up from a nap only five minutes ago.

“Thanks, Hunnie.” Jongin mumbled as he snuggled further into the soft and warm pillow under his head.

“Anytime, Nini.” Sehun laid a light kiss on his forehead before Jongin succumbed into the inviting warmth of dreamland.

When Jongin woke up, he wasn’t surprised to see Junmyeon hunched over the side of his bed, silently sleeping on her arm. Her soft brown curls – Jongin doesn’t remember the last time he saw Junmyeon with curls – were tied loosely on the right side of her head. Jongin felt guilty again, this time, for making his noona seep in that position while he slept like a baby on the bed. He knows the others might convince him to not worry about it since Junmyeon’s always has been like that but he can’t help but still feel guilty.

“Jongin?” he heard a soft call for his name. His gaze moved from the ceiling and down towards his side, meeting Junmyeon’s hazel eyes. “How are you feeling?” the older woman asked, standing up to look at Jongin properly.

“I’m sorry, noona.” Was the first thing that came out from his mouth.

“About what?” Junmyeon brushed stray strands of hair from his forehead.

“I don’t know.” Jongin mumbled. He’s not sure of Junmyeon heard him. “I’m just sorry.”

“Well, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for.” Junmyeon smiled, lightly pinching Jongin’s cheek. “Maybe except for being so cute that I might die.”

“Noona.” Jongin whined, sounding oddly like his brother, propping himself on his elbows with a red tint visible on the tips of his ears.

“See?” Junmyeon chuckled, standing back. “Come on, Kyungsoo prepared dinner.”

“It’s dinner already?” Jongin’s eyes widened. He was out cold for almost seven hour?. He looked at the clock on the opposite wall and saw that it was already seven thirty in the evening. He didn’t think he slept that long, though.

“Come on.” Junmyeon lightly pulled Jongin on his feet and both of them walked out of his room.

The hallways outside of his room was lined with framed pictures of them on different occasions. Jongin remembered all of them, unlike earlier that day when he didn’t remember anything that happened during the past days. There was one picture hanging right beside Jongdae’s room where they went out to go swimming in the beach a few towns away. There was another picture hanging right in front of Junmyeon’s room where they were all seated at the edge of the rooftop of the house, overlooking everything below them with smiles on their faces. That was the happiest day of Jongin’s life since they were all there, laughing and chatting without any worries at all. Jongin misses those days.

“Jongin!” Jongdae – who surprised Jongin with his very light blonde hair – called as soon as he entered the dining room. His brother immediately stood from his chair and strode towards Jongin, smiling at Junmyeon on his way to him. He placed a hand on her arm and gestured for her to go to the table.

Wait, his brother touched Junmyeon?

His brother, Jongdae, _touched_ his leader, Junmyeon?

 _Jongdae_ touched _Junmyeon?_

What was Jongin missing on?

Since when did Jongdae gain control over his ability to be able to touch Junmyeon without shocking her? Jongin was surprised. Nevertheless, he’s happy for both his brother and his leader.

“You, knucklehead, made me worried.” his brother knocked on his head with enough force to prove his point without hurting him, putting him back to reality.

“Sorry.” Jongin said sheepishly while chuckling.

“Aish, this kid.” Jongdae scolded, crossing his arms in front of him. “You need to stop making people worried.”

“I’m sorry?” Jongin said, ducking away from another blow from his brother.

“You should’ve seen his face when he came and told us that you’re acting weird.” Chanyeol said from the table, where he’s happily stuffing food on his mouth. Jongin could tell that he’s happy because of his pink cotton candy hair. “It was so funny I couldn’t even hold my phone right.” He said while chewing food.

Jongin’s brows furrowed. Sure, Chanyeol is a slob but he’s not _that_ much of a slob. He always, _always_ chews his food first before speaking. It was the first time Jongin saw Chanyeol like that in the table. Well, it would make sense because of his hair; it meant that he’s legitimately super happy.

“Yah!” Jongdae cried as he stomped over to Chanyeol, giving him a beating. “Let’s see how you like it when someone you love starts forgetting who you are!”

Jongin was touched, his shoulder sagging as he watched his brother beat Chanyeol up. “Aww, hyung.” He cooed, earning Jongdae’s attention.

“Shut up. You know I love you.”

Jongdae never told him he loved him out loud before. Jongin knows it’s because Jongdae is awkward in those situations but he knows that he loves him and Jongdae also knows Jongin loves him. Jongdae never told that to him in public before. Jongin always does but his brother always gets embarrassed about it.

“I love you, too!” he decided to role with it. It was a once in a blue moon situation, anyway.

“Oh shush, you!” his brother huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Jongin saw the tips of his brother’s ears flush red. Jongin laughed as he walked towards the dining table.

“Oi, you’re making the food wait!” Baekhyun – holy, is that a _red and black mullet –_ yelled at Jongin and Jongdae.

“This is so funny.” Chanyeol laughed, falling from his chair, causing him to laugh more.

“Hey you!” Jongdae pointed at Chanyeol. “I said this before and I’ll say it again. How would you react when you heard your brother is acting weird, huh?” Chanyeol shrugged, wiping his happy tears.

“Beats me. I don’t have a sibling.”

Jongin stopped.

Doesn’t Chanyeol have a sister?

Cha - Chan – Chae…….

That’s weird.

Jongin doesn’t remember.

He looked around and saw six faces staring back at him.

Wait, six? Jongin is the seventh. Shouldn’t they be nine?

But, why nine?

Jongin looked around, the others were looking back at him with furrowed brows. He began counting. Including Jongin, they were seven. He counted again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Abruptly, Jongin stood from his chair, causing the wooden furniture to fall back with an almighty thud. Everyone stood, too, wincing at the sound Jongin’s chair made as they looked at him with concern.

“Who’s missing?” Jongin muttered, placing both his hands on top of the table. “Who’s not here?”

“What do you mean, Jongin?” Jongdae asked, carefully putting his hand on Jongin’s shoulder and squeezing it.

“Who’s not here?” Jongin muttered again, forehead sweating, muscles tensing, eyes nearly tearing up. “I know someone’s missing!” he yelled, clutching the table cloth and knocking over the glasses around, along with the vase in the middle of the table.

“Jongin, look at me.” Junmyeon’s soft hands found their way on Jongin’s cheeks, making him look into the woman’s eyes. “Calm down. No one’s missing. We’re all here.” She said in a soothing voice, the voice he always wanted to hear when he was stressed and the voice that always made him relax, but as of the moment, it wasn’t making Jongin calm down.

“No! We’re supposed to be nine!” Jongin screamed, detaching himself from Junmyeon. He felt bad for making Junmyeon flinch and step back, a hurt expression lingering on her face, as he looked at Jongin with wide eyes.

“I counted and counted! Two people are not here!” Jongin pulled on his dreads. He could feel a headache coming. “Two people are missing and I don’t know who they are!” Jongin screamed and thrashed around, unable to contain his frustration. He stepped back, looking at everyone. They looked back at him with wide eyes, a hint of fear was barely noticeable behind them but Jongin saw it. He counted again.

Jongdae-hyung.

Chanyeol-hyung.

Junmyeon-noona.

Baekhyun-hyung.

Minseok-hyung.

Kyungsoo-noona.

Jongin.

Seven.

Who’s missing?

Jongin’s head shot up from his position on the corner of the dining room. He hastily stood, stumbling on his legs for a while, before he dashed up towards the hallways to the rooms upstairs. The others followed him, calling his name but he didn’t hear anything. He stopped in front of Junmyeon’s room, looking at the framed photo of the best day of his life. He counted the people in the frame and came up with eight. He counted again, just to be sure, and he got up to eight again.

A hand suddenly grabbed his upper arm, causing him to drop the frame in his hands and making it fall with a crash on the floor. The glass shattered into a million pieces and the wooden frame around it broke, causing a mess that’s dangerously close to Jongin’s feet.

“What the hell is going on with you?” Baekhyun hissed at him, pulling him aside so that he was away from the mess of broken glass and wood on the floor. He stumbled on his feet as he walked backwards. Thankfully, Kyungsoo was there to catch him from behind. Both of them laid on the floor, far away from Baekhyun and Minseok cleaning the mix of glass and wood on the floor. Jongdae and Junmyeon were next to them in seconds, asking him if he was alright – of course he wasn’t! – and both of them suggested that maybe Jongin was hallucinating. Jongin knows there’s nothing wrong with him. It was the others who had something wrong with their minds.

“H – hyung,” he called to no one in particular, his voice shaky. “Who’s the eight person on that photo?”

Baekhyun raised from his position and looked at the photo in his hands, the glass and frame around it long gone. Jongin saw the older male’s brows furrow before looking at Jongin.

“There’s only seven people into his picture, Jongin.”

That’s impossible!

“But – but I saw eight!” Jongin cried, crawling forwards.

“Look for yourself, Jongin.” Baekhyun lowered the photo to Jongin’s eye level. “Minseok-huyng, Junmyeon-noona, me, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, you.” He counted every single person in the photo, turning to Jongin when he pointed at the last one. “Seven. There are seven here.” Kyungsoo’s soft hand found its way on top of Jongin’s trembling one.

“What has gone into you, Nini?”

_“Are you alright, Nini?”_

“Sehun.” Jongin breathed, realization hitting him like a large loaded truck. “It’s Sehun. One of them is Sehun.” He said, a little louder. He looked up at Jongdae, who was looking down at him worriedly.

“Hyung, who was the one who told you I was sick in bed?” he asked, hopeful that maybe his brother could remember their maknae.

“It was Baekhyun.”

Huh?

“… What?”

“That was me, Jongin.” Baekhyun laid a hand on his shoulder. “I found you on the hill you always sleep at. I took you home and told the others.”

Jongin’s mouth opened and close again, unable to process words. Incoherent sounds came out form his mouth as he stared up at Baekhyun with wide eyes. That was impossible since Jongin remembered clearly that it was Sehun that picked him up. He even complimented Sehun’s orange hair! He couldn’t forget him just like that. Neither should the others.

“N – no. It was – it was Sehun.” He finally said. “Sehun! Oh Sehun! How could you forget Sehun?”

“Who’s Sehun?”

Jongin stared hard at Junmyeon, the _last_ person on earth that would forget about her maknae, with wide eyes and mouth agape.

“Sehun, noona! Sehun! The only one your than me!” he yelled, unstoppable tears cascading down his cheeks.

“You’re the youngest here, Jongin.” Junmyeon said. “Oppa is the oldest, you’re the youngest. No one comes after you.”

“NO!” Jongin cried, standing up. “No! Sehun does! He comes after me!”

“Jongin, calm down!”

“No!”

“You’re hurting yourself!”

“Sehun’s out there! I need to find him!”

“Please, calm down!”

“Not until Sehun’s here!”

“We don’t even know who Sehun is!”

“How could you forget him?! He’s the maknae!”

“You’re the maknae, Jongin!”

“No! Sehun is missing and I don’t even know who the other one is!”

“We’re only seven, Jongin!”

“We’re nine! NINE!”

“No, we’re not!”

Jongin’s head snapped up, facing the concerned and worried faces of the others.

“You’re right; we’re not.” He said, tears still flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks. He hissed when he smashed his palm on the ground, glass dug painfully on his skin, drawing blood. His eyes widened.

“Jongin, we need to take the glass out!” Junmyeon fussed, grabbing his hand but he quickly pulled it back as he continued staring at it. “Jongin!” Junmyeon scolded. “It won’t heal if there’s glass inside!”

“He could heal this.” Jongin muttered, looking at his blood stained hands. He didn’t even feel the pain coming from the wounds.

“Yixing-hyung.” he said, remembering Yixing could heal his hand in no time without even breaking a sweat. He looked at Beakhyun, who raised a brow at him.

“You’re not making any sense, Jongin.” Baekhyun said, stepping forwards. “We don’t know a Sehun or a Yixing. Who are they? Are they friends of yours?”

“They’re our members! You seriously can’t forget about Yixing-hyung!” Jongin shouted, exasperated. “He’s your counterpart! Like how…. Is……. Mine….”

Lu Han. His counterpart.

Jongin whimpered.

“Counterpart?” Baekhyun asked, voice raising. “What do you mean by that? Is it like he’s opposite of me or something?”

“No!” Jongin huffed, looking at the ground. “Your other half, hyung. He’s your other half!”

“Jongin, please calm down and explain.” Junmyeon cautiously stepped forwards. “The six of us will listen, okay? But you need to calm down. We’ll get through this. All seven of us.”

“No, we’re not seven. We’re not even Nine.” Jongin looked up.

“We’re twelve.”

He turned on his heel and ran. He didn’t know where he was going but he never looked back. He finally remembered. Finally, he remembered everything. Everyone.

Sehun was waiting for him.

Yixing was waiting for him.

Zitao was out there, also waiting for him.

Yifan and Lu Han were watching him.

He needs to get to them.

He needs to wake up from this nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omph!
> 
> NEXT UP: A weird turn of events..... wait.... What was the event again.....?


	22. JONGDAE

Jongdae woke up of the wrong side of the bed.

The very wrong side of the bed.

He wasn’t even _in a bed._

He woke up inside a _bathtub_ in the middle of a thin tropical forest.

Jongdae wasn’t sure why he was feeling so happy and so damned _amazing._

He thinks it’s because he’s seeing Junmyeon waving at him with a toothy smile on her face with her eyes turning into crescents as she laughed.

The same smile and laugh that made Jongdae thought he fell in love with Junmyeon in the first time he ever saw it.

“Jongdae!” she yelled, waving at him. She beaconed him over to where she was and as if on a trance, Jongdae lifted his body – he wondered why he didn’t feel any soreness or anything from sleeping inside that bathtub but he wasn’t complaining – and stepped out of the tub, one foot after the other. He jogged towards Junmyeon with a large grin on his face.

“Hey, noona.” He greeted, almost sheepishly. “What’s up?” he asked, lightly stepping back when he felt current rush up to the tips of his fingers.

“You’re acting….” Junmyeon raised a brow at Jongdae as she looked at him up and down. “unnatural.”

“How so?” Jongdae asked, wondering what made Junmeyon think that – other than the fact that Jongdae was flinching away from Junmyeon every time he felt current shoot up to his fingertips.

“Well, for starters, you slept in a bathtub.” Junmyeon pointed out, gesturing to the ceramic tub behind Jongdae.

“It was surprisingly comfortable.” Jongdae said, with smirk – he didn’t have the time to wonder where his confidence came from. Junmyeon shrugged her shoulders, laughing at Jongdae. “Anyway, what do you need me for?” he asked.

“We’re going to the beach!” Junmyeon happily cheered, jumping at the balls of her heels. “Minseok-oppa rented a hotel! Can you believe it? A hotel?! He said it wasn’t far from here.”

Minseok. Of course.

Jongdae forced a smile.

“Anyway, you need to pack. Oppa said that we’ll be staying for at least a week.”

Not noticing Jongdae’s change of mood, Junmyeon turned around and jogged towards the opening of the thin forest – Jongdae didn’t notice it being there because she was focused on memorizing every line on Junmyeon’s face – and turned towards him.

“Don’t be late Jongie!”

Jongdae finally gave a whole hearted smile at the sound of the nickname he only permits Junmyeon to use.

Like their usual routine when they go on a trip, Jongdae packs his clothes – no matter where they were going, he never forgets to get the shirt Jongin bought for him with his own savings when they were young; he bought the largest size they had so it would fit Jongdae even when he gets older – and takes only about half an hour to pack. He gets the essentials and stuffs them neatly on his luggage back without any problems. He even had a little space to spare.

Until a walking disaster and its partner named Baekhyun and Chanyeol walked into his room with clothes in their hands.

“What the hell are those?” Jongdae spat, glaring at the clothing as if it murdered his whole family.

“Small luggage, many clothes, no space.” Baekhyun said, dumping his clothes on Jongdae’s bed.

“Get your own bag, Baekhyun.” Jongdae said as he attempted to zip his luggage bag.

Keyword: attempted.

Chanyeol’s hand found its way to the zipper and prevented Jongdae from closing it, being too strong for Jongdae’s own strength.

“Yah!” Jongdae whined, as he usually does, and flicked Chanyeol in the forehead. The taller refused to budge. “You know that you can carry a backpack, right?” he asked, raising a brow at the two who were becoming the reason why Jongdae was beginning to question who he mostly hangs out with. He really needs to spend more time with Kyungsoo.

“Minseok-hyung said that we can only get one luggage bag each and nothing else except for a small handheld bag.” Baekhyun replied. “Please, Jongdae?” he pouted, attempting to put on a cute expression on his face to make Jongdae give in. Of course, as usual, Jongdae didn’t fall for it.

“Nope!” he yelled in victory when he finally managed to pry Chanyeol’s long fingers away from the zipper, causing Jongdae to finally close the damned thing.

“You can ask the others.” Jongdae said at the pouting faces of his friends.

“You know that Minseok-hyung will never let us anywhere near his bag, right?” Chanyeol pointed out, his voice low.

“Why not Kyungsoo’s luggage bag?” Baekhyun said out loud, looking at Chanyeol.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Jongdae cautiously reminded them. He never was at the receiving end of Kyungsoo’s rage but he always saw what Kyungsoo could do to anyone – that’s not Jongdae or Junmyeon – when she’s pissed off and annoyed. Once, when they were in high school, Kyungsoo stabbed Baekhyun’s hand with the blunt end of a _spoon_ because he annoyed the hell out of the younger, causing him a trip to Yixing’s classroom just to get help because the fairly large wound wouldn’t stop bleeding and Baekhyun wouldn’t stop crying – of course, no one saw it; Kyungsoo made sure.

But wait……

Where did they go to high school again?

Jongdae suddenly doesn’t remember.

“Yeah, but she _might._ ” Chanyeol gasped out, standing on his toes. At the sudden realization, both Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s faces lit up as they turned and ran. They ended up fighting their way out of Jongdae’s bedroom. Jongdae just shook his head, passing off his thoughts.

“Don’t come running back to me when she starts slicing throats with toilet paper!” Jongdae yelled after the two, who finally managed to get out of his room. He happily dragged his suitcase towards the lower floor while he hummed a tune.

“BYUN BAEKHYUN! PARK CHANYEOL!”

“NOONA! HELP!”

Jongdae sighed.

“This is going to be a long day.”

The first night at the hotel was fun. When they got to the resort, everyone was both tired and excited at the same time. The travel time took six hours – Chanyeol and Baekhyun couldn’t stop complaining; it was a miracle Jongdae managed to sleep as soon as he settled on his chair – and they checked in in record time. Junmyeon had insisted that they would go on a walk on the shoreline and her suggestion was completely followed even when everyone was tired. They had fun on the shore, dipping their feet in, walking while they chatted, sometimes running around to chase everyone.

By the time their fourth night rolled in, something happened to Jongdae.

“Where’s my brother at?” he asked himself as he walked through the corridor of the hotel. They were the only ones there since apparently, Minseok rented the whole hotel – which was kind of a stretch but Jongdae will take it – and Jongdae was sure he told his brother to meet him at the restaurant at the bottom of the hotel to help him get food for everyone – they were dead tired so Junmyeon asked one of them to get dinner since she didn’t want to bother the staff – and Jongdae has waited for at least half an hour before deciding that he’ll bring their dinner up by himself because Jongin didn’t show up.

“Jongin?” he called a bunch of times as he passed by unoccupied rooms, thinking that his brother may be with his best friend, frolicking around and giggling to themselves as they explored the hotel.

Wait, who’s Jongin’s best friend again?

And who’s…. Jongin?

“Hello?”

At the sudden voice, Jongdae jumped as he turned around, a chill running up his spine. He relaxed when he saw Junmyeon walking down the stairs towards him.

“Jongdae?” she called, her head tilted to the side. Her voice was a bit different but Jongdae thought it was because she was tired. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, noona.” Jongdae greeted. “Didn’t you say you were going to bed early?” he blurted.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Junmyeon chuckled as she walked closer towards Jongdae. “How about you?”

“I was just looking for J-,”

Who?

Jongdae’s brows furrowed.

“Looking for…...?” Junmyeon looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

“… I don’t…. know.” Jongdae said, truthfully, his mouth turning down to a frown. All of a sudden, his head pulsed, sending down a stink of pain to every part of his body.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Junmyeon reached forwards to touch Jongdae but Jongdae was quick on his feet. He backed away immediately, fear in his eyes.

“Don’t…. touch me.” he breathed, his head hurting with so many things processing at the same time. “Don’t come near.”

“Jongdae, what has gotten into you?” Junmyeon asked, worry etched on her face. “Kyungsoo was right; you’re acting weird.”

“Kyungsoo?” Jongdae huffed, head pulsing as he stepped back. He stumbled on his legs, causing him to fall on his knees with a dull thud.

“Yeah, Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon stepped forwards and cautiously kneeled in front of Jongdae.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Jongdae cried, feeling tears forming in his eyes.

“Jongie.” Junmeon reached forwards.

And hugged Jongdae.

And Junmyeon continued to talk.

Jongdae’s first instinct was to roughly push Junmyeon away but he couldn’t find himself to do it. He just closed his eyes, letting the tears flow down. Junmyeon was still talking, her voice soothing in Jongdae’s ears. In another time, Jongdae would’ve killed Junmyeon, again, but for now, Junmyeon was alive and Jongdae wasn’t shocking him.

But, why would he shock her?

Jongdae doesn’t know.

It felt like a dream; like he was in heaven. Everything felt like heaven. If it was, he wishes he’ll never wake up if it meant he could touch Junmyeon like this.

“Shush, Jongdae, noona’s here.”

Jongdae relaxed.

“I’ll be here. I won’t leave you.”

Jongdae nodded.

“I’ll hold you, forever.”

Jongdae smiled.

“You’ll forever be trapped here, with me.”

Jongdae flinched.

His eyes shot open as he finally found his strength to push Junmyeon away from him. He fell guilt immediately but it was gone as soon as it came when he saw Junmyeon’s face.

She was _smirking_ widely, pearly white teeth showing, as her eyes crinkled.

“You’re not my noona.” Jongdae breathed, backing up with the heels of his hands and feet.

“Wow, someone finally figured it out. Good job!” Junmyeon happily clapped, giggling her heart out. In another day, Jongdae would’ve thought of it as cute and adorable but not today.

Not when it wasn’t Junmyeon who’s kneeling in front of him.

“What have you done to noona?” Jongdae balled his fists, snarling.

“Seriously? The first thing you ask is about that stupid weakling and not about your brother – who, I might add, you don’t even remember the name of?” Junmyeon, fake Junmyeon, raised a brow as she tilted her body to the side.

“Jongin.” Jongdae breathed, finally remembering. He felt stupid for forgetting him, _his own blood_.

“Yay! Someone finally caught on!” Junmyeon clapped again, this time, smirking at Jongdae with a murderous glint in her eyes. “I must say, it was fun acting. Maybe I’ll become an actress?” she hummed to herself as she placed a finger over her chin.

“What have you done to them?” Jongdae sneered, growling lowly. “Junmyeon-noona, Jongin, even Sehun!” he stood, preparing himself to fight.

“First of all, I’m surprised you remembered that kid’s name – Sehun wasn’t even with us on this trip.” Jongdae’s eyes widened in realization. It’s true that Jongdae didn’t notice Sehun being there on any of their pictures together, yet, Jongdae was sure Sehun was there with them.

Or maybe, Jongdae didn’t know who Sehun was so he always thought they were complete.

“Second, I didn’t do anything to any one of them.” Fake Junmyeon stood as she brushed the dirt off of her pajamas. “I’m just here to make this dream seem real.”

“I was right; this is a dream.” Jongdae backed away, glaring at the girl in front of him.

“Duh?” Junmyeon scoffed, placing her hands on her hips as she put her weight into one foot. “Seriously, do you think Junmyeon would even do this with you in real life? Does she even _like_ you?”

Jongdae stiffened.

“Why do you think you’re having this dream, huh?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s because you know, yourself, that you can only have her in your dreams but you can’t even _touch_ her in reality. She doesn’t like you, Jongdae, and you know it. You’re not good enough even for someone as fragile and naive as her.”

Jongdae balled his fists, anger rising rapidly.

“Do you actually think you have the chance to be with that weak excuse for a leader?”

“She’s not WEAK!” Jongdae yelled even before the girl in front of him could continue speaking.

“My, you’re a feisty one, I’ll give you that.” Junmyeon chuckled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “That’s where you’re wrong, kid.” She smirked at him.

“It’s best if you let her go and not follow someone like her. For all we know, you and everyone else could die just because you blindly followed her command. You may not know it, Jongdae, but Kim Junmyeon is the weak link of your little team; she will be your downfall. If not one of you, she will be the first to die; maybe she’ll kill herself.”

“You’re wrong!” Jongdae stood straight and charged, running towards the girl in front of him. He saw her smirk again, making him want to get his hands around her throat even more.

Only, he didn’t reach her.

He shot out of bed, only to painfully recoil back.

“Jongdae?”

Jongdae stiffened at the sound of the same voice that taunted him only seconds earlier.

“Jongdae, are you alright? Does anything hurt?”

“Myeon, calm down, he just woke up.”

“….. Sorry, oppa.”

Minseok. Of course.

Jongdae sighed. He was back.

He laid back on the bed, staring at the white lights above him. He pulled on the cuffs on his wrists, making them clang and make sharp noises that echoed inside the small room they were in. It looked like they were inside a hospital that but Jongdae knew better than that. They were inside a laboratory; they were being played on.

Like rats.

“Jongdae, are you alright?” Junmyeon asked again – even when Jongdae couldn’t see her face, he knew she had a worried expression plastered on it, as usual – but her tone was a bit odd; it didn’t sound as lively as it did before. For some reason, Jongdae couldn’t help but ponder on what the fake Junmyeon had told him only a minute ago.

_“She doesn’t like you, Jongdae, and you know it. You’re not good enough even for someone as fragile and naive as her.”_

“I’m fine.” Jongdae huffed out, calming down from his previous fit of rage.

“You look shaken, Jongdae.” Minseok, who was directly beside Jongdae – wearing white clothes with a “99” written on his collar – said as he looked at him, propping his body on one elbow. Jongdae was silent for a minute. None of the other two spoke; they just looked at each other – Jongdae hates it when they look at each other like that – and didn’t utter a single word.

“Did you have any weird dreams lately, hyung? Noona?” he asked, genuinely wants to know if he’s the only one who had a dream like that. If they did, Jongdae was curious as to what those dreams were about.

“I did.” Minseok admits, resting back on his bed, the cuffs around her wrists clanging against the metal railings of the bed. “I just woke up, too.”

“What was it about?” Jongdae closed his eyes, willing for the picture of the fake Junmyeon to remove itself from his brain. He needed a distraction.

“It wasn’t a weird dream, per se, since it was a dream but it felt entirely real; it’s like it really happened in real life.” Minseok said, staring up the ceiling. “The reason why I noticed that it wasn’t real was because Myeon wasn’t there. Sehun, Yixing and Jongin weren’t there either.” He added.

“At first, it seemed like a normal life of living together inside a house. Then, one day, I woke up and everything felt weird. When nighttime fell, I noticed that we weren’t as many as we used to be. I realized that we were short of four people so I asked. The weird part was that I didn’t remember who they were or what they’re names are. Someone yelled the word ‘counterpart’ and it all came rushing back. I remembered everything and demanded why you and the others couldn’t remember the maknaes and Myeon and Xing. I punched you in the face when you insisted that Myeon didn’t exist. I woke up seconds after I saw you throw a punch back.”

“Since when did you get so violent, oppa?” Junmyeon asked, voice rising but her tone was still different.

“I was provoked. Fake Jongdae hit a nerve. Sorry, Jongdae.” Minseol turned to Jongdae.

“None taken.” Jongdae replied, propping himself up on the bed. He looked up at Junmyeon, who was wearing the same clothes as Minseok but instead of a “99”, a “01” was printed on her collar.

Huh?

99 and 01.

A hundred.

Minseok and Junmyeon.

How perfect.

Jongdae smiled bitterly.

“How about you, noona?” he asked, fixing himself on the bed.

“It was a funny dream, for me.” Junmyeon said, almost bitterly. “I noticed everything immediately.”

“What happened?”

“It was ironic. Everything was colorful, lively, everyone was happy. The only problem was that Yixing wasn’t there. Then, one day, Sehun disappeared without a trace. The next, Jongin. It was weird that everyone acted as if they weren’t even there in the first place. Then, I realized something.” Junmyeon looked at Jongdae straight in the eye.

“I forced myself down a building because I know none of it was real.”

Jongdae heard Minseok take a sharp intake of breath. With him, Jongdae, gasped too. Junmyeon’s face was expressionless as she laid back on the bed, clenching and unclenching her fists for a couple of seconds before finally letting go. At the shocked expression on Minseok’s face, it was clear that it was his first time hearing her story, too. Both of them really shouldn’t be shocked because it was a dream but still, Junmyeon knowingly threw herself off of a building.

_Knowingly._

It’s not certain that she wouldn’t do it in real life.

Jongdae is scared.

_“It’s best if you let her go and not follow someone like her. For all we know, you and everyone else could die just because you blindly followed her command. You may not know it, Jongdae, but Kim Junmyeon is the weak link of your little team; she will be your downfall. If not one of you, she will be the first to die; maybe she would kill herself.”_

Jongdae shut his eyes and stilled, counting to a hundred to calm himself down. It was working, for a bit, but then, the doors opened, revealing eight identical nurses in white with red visors over their faces and walked towards Minseok’s and Junmyeon’s beds.

“Hey!” Minseok shouted when the nurses pulled out a syringe with blue liquid inside. The nurse went over to Junmyeon’s tube and inserted it without any effort, not listening to Minseok and Jongdae’s shouts. Junmyeon was doing nothing as she stared at the ceiling, not looking at anything else. A couple of seconds later, she fell limp and her bed was wheeled out. The same was done with Minseok; he was drugged and wheeled out only this time, he tried to put up a fight but he eventually lost.

Jongdae was left to process everything he just saw. None of the nurses came back for him. He tried pulling on the cuffs until his wrists bled but to no avail. He tried to summon lightning to maybe fry the circuits of the machines around him but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t summon any.

Until it dawned to him.

Their abilities are gone.

They were stolen.

Junmyeon knew that’s why she wasn’t doing anything.

Never in Jongdae’s life did he feel so useless and scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell who's my favorite member????
> 
> NEXT UP: He knows that something's wrong. He just couldn't speak about it. He knows something's going to happen. He just didn't know when it will happen. He was smart to think ahead. That was until he got caught and he had another screaming session with the ceiling.


	23. BAEKHYUN

Baekhyun knew something was wrong the moment he woke up inside that car. When he stared at the bright light coming from the opaque glass above him, he knew. Everything was different, everyone was different, everything was different. He knew it was a dream from the very start; he caught on faster than anyone else.

At least, that’s what he was told.

At first, he was happy since everyone was finally living their lives without having to fear anything from the outside world. He knew who was there with him, who knew who they were, but he knew that something was wrong with the whole scenario he was living in but he couldn’t remember what he was talking about in his head every time he thought about it.

He realized something was wrong when he cut his arm in the forest while chasing after Chanyeol. It stung and bled – more than it normally would – and caused a minor panic attack from the maknaes and their leader. Baekhyun blurted that Yixing would fix it. He’d furrowed his brows at that one since he didn’t know why he said Yixing’s name. The others didn’t know who he was – _he_ didn’t even know he was, either – so that’s when Baekhyun started believing that something was wrong.

He wrote about everything that happened that day inside a notebook he found lying in the house. The next day, he and the others forgot that incident ever happening – the wound mysteriously disappeared overnight – but Baekhyun found the notebook he had hidden under his bed and saw the contents written in his own handwriting. That’s when he finally realized that everything was fake. He continued to write inside the notebook and every time he forgot, he would always find it and he would remember.

One day, Sehun disappeared from his dream and as usual, they all forgot about him. Baekhyun remembered after reading the notes he wrote. The next week, Jongin disappeared. The day after that, Chanyeol was gone. The next, Junmyeon was nowhere to be seen. One day, Baekhyun had had enough. He stared at the remaining members straight in the eyes as he plunged the sharp end of a knife through his stomach.

He woke up, strapped to a bed, wearing all white with an IV tube embedded on the crook of his elbow, a blue liquid forcing its way into his bloodstream.

“Baek?” Junmyeon, who was sitting on the bed right in front of him, dressed in the same white clothes, called for him.

“Noona? Are you alright?” Baekhyun asked, lightly shaking his head, letting the dizziness fade away. He slowly sat up, facing his leader.

“Yeah.” Junmyeon answered, looking down. She looked up and met Baekhyun’s gaze after a minute of silence between them.

“You realized, too?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun nodded, looking at his leader. He looked around and saw Jongdae and Minseok lying at either side of him, facing each other like how Junmyeon and Baekhyun were. They were wearing the same clothes as them but they had different numbers written on the collar of their shirt. Jongdae’s was “21”, Minseok’s was “99”, Junmyeon’s was “01” and after asking his leader was his was, he learned that it was a “04”. Jongdae and Minseok were still asleep so he concluded that they haven’t realized anything yet – that’s if they were having the same dream.

“When did you wake up?” Baekhyun asked his leader, who was uncharacteristically quiet and unmoving, considering their situation. Usually, Junmyeon would be talking about how they would plan to escape, but now, she was quiet as a mouse.

“About two weeks ago.” Junmyeon answered with an expressionless face – it was beginning to scare Baekhyun. “I disappeared from your dream, right?”

“….. Yeah.” Baekhyun nodded. His brows furrowed. “But that was only yesterday in my dream. How did you know?”

“Time works differently in the dreams, apparently.” Junmyeon made a sour expression. “Our dreams are all different, in a way, but they are all the same. I’m not sure if that even makes sense but that’s what I’ve gathered so far.” She explained.

“All of us are asleep and we share the same dreams but in different situations. When one of us wakes up, they disappear from the dream and it was as if they didn’t exist at all.”

“Yixing-ge wasn’t there when I woke up inside the forest.” Baekhyun said, sitting properly. “Does that mean he’s never asleep?”

“Yixing was here a week ago. He was unconscious, though. I don’t know what they did to him but he stayed here for two days.” Junmyeon replied. “He wasn’t subjected to the blue liquid that we’re practically drowning on.” She gestured to the IV tube colored in blue. “He was wheeled in without anything pierced on his skin.”

“So it’s the liquid that’s making us share the same dreams, not necessarily when we’re all sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

“How about Jongin and Sehun? And Chanyeol, too.” Baekhyun asked. “Were they here? They disappeared from my dreams, too.”

Junmyeon shook her head. “Aside from the three of you and Yixing, I didn’t see the others yet.” She said, looking down.

The silence was deafening – Baekhyun didn’t know why – and Baekhyun was slowly getting worried at Junmyeon’s lack of emotions. She’s never like this, not in the twenty years that they’ve been together did Baekhyun see her as emotionless as now – even when Yifan and Lu Han died, Junmyeon never acted like this.

Maybe except for that time when Minseok slapped Junmyeon across the face while they were in Gwuangju.

Baekhyun hates that memory.

“Hey, Baekhyun.” Junmyeon called. Baekhyun turned his head to look at his leader looking at her hands.

“Have you ever thought of life without the Tree of Life?”

The question flustered Baekhyun more that it should ‘ve. He stared at Junmyeon, who was clearly refusing to look at him. She continued to stare at her hands, clenching and unclenching them every now and then.

“No…. I haven’t, actually.” Baekhyun answered with a little bit of uncertainty. “Though, with this current life we have, I’m not sure it’s possible to live normally anymore.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Junmyeon finally raised her head to look at him. “But would you prefer having abilities or not?” she asked, eyes hollow, skin pale, mouth turned down to a light frown.

“I don’t know.” Baekhyun replied. “Why do you ask, anyway?” Junmyeon is quiet.

“I’m not sure if _them_ taking our abilities is a good thing or not.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened. Their abilities are gone? He didn’t think it was possible but he was sure that nothing, except for the Tree of Life, could take their abilities away. It’s a part of them that Baekhyun’s sure won’t be stripped away that easily. Jiwon hadn’t warned them about this incident ever happening.

Well, Baekhyun did ask, one time. Jiwon said it was impossible, too.

Now, Baekhyun knows why Junmyeon was acting so strangely. It was because she knew that they didn’t have any abilities anymore! Of course Junmyeon would be the first one to notice – Baekhyun didn’t even realize that he wouldn’t feel his ability inside his body anymore; he didn’t even feel the void that replaced the spot where Yixing was supposed to be – she is their leader, after all.

“They took our abilities when we were asleep. I can’t feel water anymore, Baekhyun. I can’t feel any of you guys; I can’t even feel Minseok-oppa.” Junmyeon’s voice grew cold as it trailed off. “I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not but…. It feels weird not feeling anything unearthly.”

“Well, it’s not the first time we’ve felt this way….” Baekhyun trailed off. “Not ever since……”

“Since the maze, I know.” Junmyeon sighed.

“ _Are_ we back in the maze?”

“… I don’t know.”

Baekhyun was about to open his mouth but as soon as he did, a group of nurses wearing white clothes and red visors came walking in through the door in the corner of the room, all of them walking towards Baekhyun’s bed.

“Hey!” Beakhyun yelled as the nurses pulled out a syringe with blue liquid inside. “Stop!” A nurse forced the needle through his IV tube, making the clear liquid go blue.

The same was done with Junmyeon. She was forced back as liquid started to flow down into her bloodstream. It was weird she didn’t put up a fight. She fell limp faster than Baekhyun.

Baekhyun passed out immediately after that.

Baekhyun woke in a daze. Unlike the last time he woke up in an unknown place, he wasn’t feeling happiness or any positive feeling inside his body. It was the total opposite; his body ached everywhere, his head throbbed, his arms felt like they would break anytime soon. Baekhyun didn’t like any of it.

“Everything hurts.” He groaned, opening his eyes. He was surprised when he didn’t see anything. He tried to lift his arms but they were bound to the bed he was in. The bed was slightly inclined, Baekhyun could feel it. He tried blinking. Once. Twice. Thrice. He still couldn’t see anything in front of him. He feared that he had gone blind.

“Subject number 04.”

Baekhyun shivered at the voice coming from nowhere as he closed his eyes shut. He breathed, in and out, calming himself down as he flexed his hands. When he finally calmed down, he opened his eyes, but he was still in the darkness.

“Subject number 04, Byun Baekhyun.” The voice said, echoing through the room Baekhyun was at. The voice was light and was slightly like Jongdae’s voice.

“ID number 06-05-92.”

He took a sharp intake of breath.

How did they know his birthdate? Why is it his ID number?

“Has the ability to create and manipulate light.”

It was silent for a bit before lights suddenly appeared from above Baekhyun, stinging his eyes. He hissed as he closed his eyes shut, waiting for the pain to subside. He slowly opened his eyes, regretting it immediately when he saw someone strapped on a bed right in front of him. The person was wearing the same white clothes as him. From that distance, Baekhyun could see the number “88” on his collar.

“Jongin!” he yelled but the other male didn’t even flinch. Jongin’s neck was limp, his head bumping against his shoulder – Baekhyun flinched, thinking how painful that’s going to be when the younger wakes up – his whole body was unmoving but thankfully, there were no bruises or wounds on his skin. His bed was slightly inclined, too.

“Jongin!” Baekhyun tried again but like the last time, Jongin didn’t move.

A bucket of water was suddenly dumped from above Jongin and caused the younger to wake up gasping loudly. He immediately got drenched in water, shivering at the cold. His clothes stuck to his skin like seaweed and Baekhyun didn’t lie the sight of Jongin whimpering at all.

“How dare you?!” Baekhyun gasped, pulling on his restraints. He saw Jongin shiver harder, his teeth noticeably chattering. “Hey! Someone get him new clothes! He could get sick!”

“H – hyung.” Jongin called from across him. Baekhyun’s rage doubled.

A click echoed throughout the whole room and Baekhyun feel on the cold and wet ground with a thud. His restraints were off and the first thing he did was to rush to Jongin.

“It’s okay. Hyung’s going to get you dried up, alright?” Baekhyun said as he removed the belts around Jongin’s wrists. He slowly pulled Jongin from the bed and into the floor – in the space that wasn’t wet from the water – and immediately removed the younger’s jacket and top, replacing them with his own jacket and leaving him with only a button up top.

“Subject number 88.” The voice came back.

Baekhyun hissed, possessively holding Jongin closer for more heat.

“Subject number 88, Kim Jongin.”

Jongin whimpered, clinging to Baekhyun’s top.

“ID number 16-01-94”

Baekhyun growled. That’s Jongin’s birthday.

“Has the ability to teleport from one place to another in less than a second.” The voice became silent again.

“Hyung.” Jongin whimpered, teeth still chattering.

“Yeah?”

“Where are we?”

“I don’t know.”

There was silence. Baekhyun was secretly glad that he couldn’t hear the voice anymore. It was starting to get annoying and Baekhyun _never_ gets annoyed. Of course, the silence didn’t last, much to his annoyance.

“Subject number 04, the Light bearer. Subject number 88, the Teleporter.” The voice said.

“Fifth and sixth most valuable, respectively, among the twelve.”

Something snapped.

How dare they determine their value?!

“Who, the fuck, are you?!” Baekhyun shouted, making Jongin flinch but the younger never let go of his grip on Baekhyun’s shirt.

“Subject number 04, the loudmouth, as observed.”

An irk mark appeared on Baekhyun’s temple, making him angrier. “What was that?!” he yelled, gritting his teeth.

“Subject number 04, the whiner. Although, much less than Subject number 21.”

“HUH?!” Baekhyun shouted. “What the hell are you going on about?!”

“Subject number 04, twenty-six-years of age, likes questioning things.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m only twenty-four!” Baekhyun blurted before he could stop himself. He clamped a hand – the one not holding Jongin’s – over his mouth immediately after saying his real age.

“Subject number 04, twenty-six-years of age, acts like a baby.”

“I’m only twenty-four, you dimwit!” Baekhyun screeched. “If you’re gathering information, at least do your job right!”

“Question for Subject number 04.”

“What?!”

“What is today’s date?”

Baekhyun looked down on Jongin, who shrugged his shoulders. Baekhyun didn’t know what the date is since he doesn’t know how much time has passed after they were captured from the warehouse. That was last September. For all Baekhyun knows, it could be October or November already. He knew he wasn’t asleep for that long, anyway.

“I don’t know…?” he answered with a questioning tone. “Wait, why am I answering you again?”

“Subject number 04, witty. More than Subject number 21 and Subject number 61.”

“What the hell?!”

“Same question for Subject number 88.”

“Me?” Jongin croaked, sitting up properly but never letting go of Baekhyun’s hand. “How should I know?”

“Subject number 88, acts innocent. Really _is_ innocent.”

“What?”

“Subject number 88, an actual baby.”

“Hey!”

“Subject number 88, a baby trapped inside a twenty-four-year-old’s body.”

“I’m twenty-two!”

“Wait.” Baekhyun found himself interrupting the conversation. The voice said that Baekhyun’s twenty-six and Jongin’s twenty-four. A sudden thought popped into Baekhyun’s head.

What if they were trapped in their dreams for longer than they thought?

“Jongin.” He called, voice a bit shaky.

“Hyung?” Jongin replied, sitting closer to Baekhyun.

“Did you have strange dreams too?”

“Yeah.”

“How long were those dreams?”

“Why do you ask?” Jongin made a quizzical expression on his face. “It was actually only a day for me.” He said, looking at Baekhyun.

“Mine lasted for two weeks.” Baekhyun breathed. It was impossible for their dreams to last over a year long.

But, Junmyeon said that time worked differently in their dreams.

“Question for Subjects number 04 and 88.” The voice said. “How long has it been since your capture on the seventh of September, 2016?”

“How would we know if we don’t even know what today’s date is?!” Baekhyun shouted after fixing his position so that he was kneeling on the ground.

“Today is the sixteenth of June.”

Baekhyun and Jongin’s eyes widened significantly.

“The year is 2018.”

“Bullshit!” Baekhyun shouted before he could stop himself. “There’s no way we’ve been stuck here for one and a half years!”

There was silence. Jongin clung to Baekhyun even more as he tried to process everything that’s happening. Baekhyun, too, was still having a hard time processing everything. One and a half years? That was impossible.

The voice chuckled, giving the first sign of actually being human after that display of sarcasm earlier.

“The Dreamscape Project did take a while to make.” The voice said, the emotionless tone long gone; as if it never even existed at all.

“What the hell is that?” Baekhyun asked, glaring at the ceiling as if the person on the other side of the speaker hidden inside the room could feel it.

“It’s an experiment, made by yours truly, conducted here.” The voice said. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think it would be this successful.” He said.

“What did you do to us?” Baekhyun growled, narrowing his eyes into slits.

“I did nothing to you.” The voice said.

“What about our abilities?!” Baekhyun clamped a hand over his mouth. Sometimes, he wishes he could sew his lips shut. This was one of those times.

“Like I said, I didn’t do anything. I merely needed you to be the participants. As for your abilities, didn’t take them. _They_ did.”

“ _They_?”

“ _They,_ meaning the _Red Force.”_

“Aren’t _you_ the _Red Force_?” Baekhyun bit his tongue. He seriously needs to learn how to shut his mouth.

“Well, yes.” the voice said. “And no.” he continued. Baekhyun raised a brow.

“You see; there was an agreement that happened between us. I needed participants and _they_ needed you to sleep. Sleep is their only ally against you, you know.” The voice said in an as-a-matter-of-fact voice. “The nurses in white with the red visors over their face are _their_ representatives. They monitored you. They were also the ones who took your abilities.”

“So you’re working for them!” Jongin yelled.

“I’m not _working for them._ I’m working _with_ them. There’s a difference.”

“Difference, my ass!” Baekhyun snarled.

“Feisty. I’ll tell you this, four of you are kittens that scratches.” The voice purred. Baekhyun rolled his eyes at the metaphor. “Well, I already got what I wanted.” The voice continued.

“And what’s that?” Jongin asked.

“Results.” The voice answered. “The Dreamscape Project is something I created to test a drug I made. Whoever has that drug inside their bloodstream can share the same dream. A dream, of which, I can control from the outside. Once one wakes up, they are removed from the dream and no one would notice them gone because they don’t remember who they are.”

“That’s why I forgot who Sehun is!” Jongin said as he looked at Baekhyun.

“Correct!” the voice cheered. “Oh Sehun was the first one to wake up. You, Kim Jongin, was the next. Park Chanyeol followed shortly after you. Kim Junmyeon was next and you, Byun Baekhyun, is the most recent. Though, Kim Junmyeon was put back to sleep numerous times after she found out about our plans. The girl is scary; do you know that? We had no choice but to constantly put her to sleep. Luckily, she didn’t resist at all.” Baekhyun and Jongin looked at each other. That wasn’t like Junmyeon at all.

“There was one flaw in my experiment.” The voice said, tone cold and pitch lower than the previous times the person on the other side spoke.

“Zhang Yixing.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

“It seems that he cannot be subjected to the drugs’ control over the nervous system.”

“That’s why he wasn’t in any of our dreams!” Baekhyun gasped, the realization hitting him like a truck.

“Correct. For the last year, I have been trying hard to make him submit to the drug. Even _they_ couldn’t let him go.”

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun muttered, brows furrowing.

“ _They_ planned to steal your powers from the start. As you slept, drowning in the drug I created, they extracted your abilities. They took all of them. All except Zhang Yixing’s. There was something that was preventing my drug from working; there was something keeping him awake and thus, _they_ cannot extract his ability. He remains untouched until now. He’s quite…. Stubborn…. Do you know that?”

“That’s my counterpart.” Baekhyun scoffed, grinning with pride.

“Oh, I know. It just got more interesting, actually. Mind you, I won’t stop until I find out what’s making my drug not work on him.” the voice said. Baekhyun could practically _see_ the man behind the voice smirk.

“You and I both know that _they_ won’t stop until they get his ability, either.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened impossibly.

“Even if there’s a possibility that it kills him after, _they_ won’t let such a powerful ability go to waste.” The voice laughed. “He is the most valuable member of your team, after all. After the two that died, of course. Such a shame they did, too. Time manipulation and Telekinesis are hard to come by, you know.”

“Oh my god.” Baekhyunn gasped. Jongin whimpered beside him.

“Plus, you might be surprised by why _they_ had installed for you. You may be shocked when you see yourself in the mirror!”

The lights went out and Bakehyun clung to Jongin like he was the only one he had left in the world. Jongin clung to him just as hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you still follow?
> 
> NEXT UP: He wanted to prove something. He really wanted to show that they were wrong. He was tested - he knows that they were tested. He really, really wanted to prove it. He didn't know that they're just as determined as he is.


	24. YIXING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning....
> 
> Lots of blood ahead.
> 
> Like, lots of blood.
> 
> Stay safe!!

Yixing woke up for the millionth time with a splitting headache. It has always been the same as before: He wakes up to a blinding light above him, his arms bound to the bed he’s lying in, and nurses in white with red visors crowded around him, taking notes on their clipboards without even looking at him. It has always been the same. He has spent more time in the hospital to know that they weren’t in a _real one._ The white walls, nurses dressed in white and his white clothes aren’t something you would normally see inside a real hospital. Much less the cramp space he was always kept in. It has always been the same: Same room, same nurses, same clothes, same everything.

It has always been the same.

Except for this time.

When Yixing woke up, instead of tight, white walls and his wrists bound to the white bed below him, Yixing found himself lying on the cold cement ground, facing the tall cement ceiling above him with literally nothing around him. He still has a splitting headache when he woke up but nothing was the same. He was still wearing his white clothes, yes, but other than that, the situation was completely new to him.

“Subject number 10, Zhang Yixing.” A voice came out of nowhere, effectively startling Yixing. “ID number 07-10-91.” Yixing hummed curiously. It seemed like he heard those numbers before but he doesn’t remember. He was still disoriented so maybe that’s why he couldn’t remember.

“Subject number 10 cannot be subjected through the Dreamscape Project.” The voice continued.

His brows furrowed. What’s the Dreamscape Project?

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

Yixing knew he wasn’t supposed to show his ability to anyone. It was Jiwon’s one and only rule and Yixing wasn’t planning on disobeying him even though he isn’t with them anymore. He didn’t know these people so there was a chance that they don’t know about their abilities – admittedly, Yixing thought that it was a long shot but he was willing to take the shot. He kept the rule engraved in his mind and he’s sure that the others did, too, and it explains why they wouldn’t use them even when they were fighting off officers back when they reunited and back at that warehouse.

“Please demonstrate your ability.” The emotionless voice repeated.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yixing became stubborn.

A bang interrupted his upcoming thought.

Yixing stilled, unable to move or say anything, standing completely frozen in the middle of the room when the door at the dark corner suddenly opened and a nurse with a red visor came pushing a bed with an occupant on top of it. When the nurse came nearer, Yixing saw that it was a small dog. The dog was dying, Yixing noticed immediately. Its haggard breathing was not easy to miss, as well as the pained whimpers that escaped its mouth. Its sides heaved up and down as it breathed, slowly slipping away from reality with every breath. Yixing had to look away.

“It got run over by a bike.” The voice said. “Subject number 10, please demonstrate your ability.” He repeated.

“I – I don’t-,” Yixing stuttered before his breath hitched when the dog let out a pained howl. He didn’t want it to die but at the same time, he wanted to prove that he didn’t have an ability. “I don’t have any.” He said, his voice betraying him by cracking.

“Please demonstrate your ability.” The voice repeated again, not giving any emotion to the statement. Clearly, they know about his ability.

But Yixing was stubbornly ignoring everything and shut his eyes.

“I told you, I do-,”

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

“I really d-,”

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

“I told you, I DON’T HAVE ANY!!”

The dog whimpered one last time before collapsing unconscious. Yixing immediately felt immensely guilty for being the cause of a dog’s death. He, too, whimpered as he stepped back until he felt the coldness of the concrete wall behind him. He shut his eyes, not wanting to see the dog anymore. He was pathetic, he thought, he was so pathetic. He continued to whine as tears started poling in his eyes. A second later, his tears fell, and Yixing let out a pained sob.

“Subject number 10 refuses to show his ability even to a dying dog.” The voice said, mocking Yixing. The nurse pushed the bed and the dog outside without saying anything. The door was shut behind her and Yixing was left in complete darkness. He cried his eyes out after that.

“Subject number 10”

Yixing’s head snapped up. He didn’t know how much time has passed with him being inside that cold, pitch black room. A sudden blinding light came from the only lightbulb in the middle of the room, a few feet away from where Yixing was curled up on himself. The light hurt his eyes so he instinctively turned away, covering his eyes while closing them shut.

“ID number 07-10-91.” The emotionless repeated what he had said minutes, maybe days, ago. A nurse opened the door on the other corner of the room and a bed was wheeled in, similar to the dog, only this time, a cat was on the bed.

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

“I don’t have one.” Yixing whimpered as the nurse pushed the bed nearer and nearer to Yixing.

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

“Please,” Yixing cried, backing up the corner until his body was squished under his own weight. “I told you, I don’t have any abilities!” he cried, not wanting to witness another life blown away from existence because he didn’t want to disobey the only rule Jiwon told them that mattered.

He was so pathetic.

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

“Please, don’t.” Yixing whimpered again, covering his ears.

“Please demonstrate your ability.”

A few seconds later, the cat cried and let out its last breath.

“Subject number 10 refuses to demonstrate his ability once again. Note: will need to take extreme measures.”

The nurse wheeled the cat out and Yixing was, once again, drowned in the darkness of the room.

It has happened a couple of times more. The nurses always brought animals that were in the verge of dying and they forced Yixing to heal them. Every time, Yixing refused, insisting that he didn’t have abilities to heal. He told them to stop – he _begged_ them to stop – but every time he did, they always ignored him and they kept showing him dying animals, the next more wounded and bloody than the last. The latest they had presented in front of him had been a run over rabbit, its white fur stained with ugly red as it panted, pleading at Yixing. He couldn’t help but think about Junmyeon just by looking at the rabbit. When it died, Yixing had the sudden thought of Junmyeon dying, as well. He shook his head at that one, not wanting to think about it. He hoped that his leader was safe. He didn’t know how long was it since he last saw her.

The entrance of bloody animals stopped for a while.

Before it started again.

What they brought next made Yixing snap.

“Oh my god.” He breathed as he struggled to get the handcuffs off of his wrists. He had just woken up from passing out on the cold corner of the room to a chair. His wrists were bound to the sides as they forced him to watch what’s in front of him.

“Please, make them stop!” He cried, pulling on to the cuffs harder as his cries echoed loudly around the room. The sound of whips bounced against the walls. Yixing’s ears slowly started ringing as he cried, his throat getting hoarser and hoarser by the second. He didn’t want this. This was the last thing he wanted to see and hear.

“Please stop! You’re hurting him! Stop!”

“Hyung!!”

“Sehun!”

Sehun cried loudly again, his head rolling to the side as he collapsed on the concrete floor. They had whipped and beaten him right in front of Yixing. Blood was splattered on the wall and on the floor, but mostly on Sehun’s torn white clothes, painting him dark crimson. Blood slipped passed the corners of his lips and flowed down his neck, tears lined his cheeks and purple bruises blossomed on his pale face. He looked at Yixing with half open eyes, pleading at him to help him.

One of the nurses standing next to Sehun kicked him in the ribs, making him jerk and curl forwards to protect his front. The other nurse whipped his back – the cloth that’s supposed to be protecting his bare skin was already long gone; turned into shreds – creating another large gash – Yixing couldn’t see it but he knows that it’s there – and Sehun let another cry escape his lips. The first nurse kicked him again, this time, on the stomach and Yixing cried, begging them to stop. The two nurses halted for a second, waiting for Sehun to react. The younger heaved very short breaths, his face contorting into a pained frown every time.

“H – hyu….ng” Sehun looked at Yixing with a half-opened eye as he coughed out blood, staining the dark concrete floor even more.

The nurse – who Yixing realized was capable of doing more than just take notes –raised the whip high above her head, readying herself to land another blow on Sehun’s, already battered, body.

“Stop!”

Yixing screamed and heaved, falling on the ground with his arms twisted in an awkward angle since his wrists were still cuffed to the sides of the chair. He looked at Sehun with tears in his eyes as he panted.

“Stop.” He repeated, this time, in a whisper. “Fine! I’ll do it! Please stop!”

“Release Subject number 10.” The emotionless voice said and the nurses immediately walked towards Yixing and roughly pulled him to his feet. They undid the locks on the cuffs and roughly shoved him towards Sehun.

“Oh my god.” He gasped as he gently pulled Sehun so that he’ll lay on his side while he faced him. He placed his head on top of his lap, blood and dirt immediately coating his white pants.

“I’m so sorry, Sehun.” Yixing whispered, his tears falling on Sehun’s bruised face.

“D – don’t…. use – it, h – hyung.” Sehun barely managed to croak out.

“I’m not letting you die here, Sehun.” Yixing scolded firmly.

“It’s…. o – okay.”

“No, it’s not!” Screw Jiwon’s rule! Yixing rested his right hand on Sehun’s cheek while the other rested on the crown of his head. “I’m not letting you die.” He repeated, mostly to himself.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized again and again as he let his ability flow from his hands and into the maknae’s body.

Yixing has done this a million times before. He even revived Junmyeon after Jongdae had electrocuted her – that had been the worst day of his life; he was so shaken that she stayed by Junmyeon’s side even when she already fully recovered (well, all of them refused to leave her when she was bedridden). Sometimes, Yixing wishes he was gifted with another ability because he could feel the pain and suffering coming from the patient once he touches them. Sometimes, Yixing wished he didn’t have abilities to begin with.

This time, he doesn’t know what he wants.

He could feel Sehun’s pain. He felt it the moment he laid his hands on his head. After a while, he felt the younger’s pain ease down, minute after minute. At the same time, Yixing watched Sehun’s wounds close, only leaving a small, light scar in its place, as well as the blood that left through the cut. By the time Sehun was fully healed, still covered in a bloody mess but healed, he was already asleep, hand clutching Yixing’s shirt. Yixing sighed, relief flooding through his system as he watched Sehun’s chest move up and down. He threaded his fingers through the maknae’s sweaty black hair. Yixing reached down to kiss the side of Sehun’s head, whispering apologies every now and then.

“Extract Subject number 94.”

Yixing’s head shot up, completely forgetting that they weren’t alone in the room. He held Sehun close to him, glaring at the nurses that advanced towards them. Sehun was out cold, even the sudden movements that Yixing were making weren’t making him wake up. Yixing dragged them both to the corner, still holding Sehun tightly in his arms.

“I’m not letting you take him!” Yixing yelled, growling when the nurse reached forwards to take the younger. A third nurse showed up, joining the two in grabbing Sehun’s arm.

“No!” Yixing yelled. The nurse continued to grab Sehun and pull him up, passing him to two other nurses, who pulled him out of the room by the shoulders, still out cold.

Yixing was pulled to a bed and was strapped down when he began thrashing. One nurse plunged a syringe through his skin and Yixing felt drowsy almost immediately. He fell limp against the bed as they wheeled him out. He saw lights move above him as they moved through the twisting halls of the place. It was Yixing’s first time to see the outside of the dark room after he was kept there for, what seemed like, days. He passed out, not getting to see the new room he was put in.

He woke up after, what seemed like, eternity and the first thing he saw was Chanyeol strapped on the bed right across from him. Not knowing why, Yixing instinctively backed up on his own bed. Once he realized that the younger was asleep, he relaxed. It was then when he realized that it was only the two of them inside the room, both surrounded by medical equipment that Yixing knew from the heart. They were both bound to the bed by the wrists – Chanyeol’s feet were bound to the bed, as well – and both of them had IV tubes on the crook of their elbows. Looking at Chanyeol’s sleeping figure, Yixing remembered what happened before they came to get tortured inside that laboratory.

Yixing doesn’t remember how much time has passed after they were captured. When, he, Junmyeon and Sehun went drove to the venue of the gathering, they had stayed quite far away from the actual building in order not to get seen by anyone passing by. For all they know, SWAT teams were already there right beside them so they stayed cautious throughout the whole stakeout mission. They were waiting for at least a quarter of an hour before their identical rings vibrated at the same time, indicating that they found Chaeyoung. Junmyeon had given the confirmation in seconds, all three of them got out of the car and broke into a run right after that.

“Hey!” Chanyeol had called for them, coming out from nowhere with his orange hair messy and his face wounded and scratched in the side. Yixing was confused at his arrival since it wasn’t part of the plan for him to meet them. He was supposed to be running towards the warehouse where his sister was supposed to be. Yixing and Junmyeon had fussed over him but Chanyeol immediately dismissed them, telling them that they didn’t have time. Yixing barely managed to slap on a small bandage over the taller one’s nose before they broke into a run again, dashing towards the warehouse.

Yixing was the only one who didn’t join in the brawl that happened – he chose to stay aside, unlike how he acted during their reunion. He stayed hidden in one of the hidden rooms that he found while exploring, looking for something that he could help with since he wasn’t really into fighting. Kun had been talking to him over the communication line. They exchanged updates in Chinese so that no one else would understand them. About five minutes into the warehouse, a loud boom echoed from outside and a sudden heat wave hit Yixing. The smell of burnt money lingered in the air as Yixing tells Kun about the event. A couple of minutes later, Sehun’s voice came through the communication line to tell them that they had found Chaeyoung and that Chanyeol’s running away with her. Kun had instructed Yixing to go ahead and head North to wait for the Park siblings to come to him for help with injuries. Yixing nodded, even though Kun couldn’t see him, and dashed off.

While running, Yixing passed by Chanyeol, who was running towards the opposite direction, barely giving him a glance.

Chaeyoung wasn’t with him.

Yixing found it odd that Chanyeol kept popping around everywhere. From earlier that night, when Chanyeol was supposed to be in the race and not with them, to now, when he was supposed to be running away from the warehouse and _not_ towards it, _supposedly with his sister._

Taking a break from his thoughts and from running, Yixing took shelter inside a lone building in the middle of nowhere. He climbed up the stairs and hid from the SWAT cars that started parking a few meters away from his location.

 _“Gege, where are you?”_ Kun had asked a couple of minutes later.

 _“I was tired so I hid in a nearby building. SWAT teams are stationed in front of me but I don’t think they’re meant for me.”_ he answered.

 _“Stay put and don’t get caught. Stay away from the windows so they won’t see you. If they’re not there for you, then they’re meant for Chanyeol-ge.”_ Kun said. _“I’m trying to contact him to change his route but it looks like he dropped Jaehyun’s earing somewhere.”_

_“Hey Kun, can I ask you something?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Did you know that Chanyeol met us before we got inside that warehouse?”_ there was silence on the other side of the line before Kun spoke up again.

_“There are tracking chips inside your earrings. Since Chanyeol-ge is running with Jaehyun’s earring I’ve been tracking his. I went back on the feed and on the exact time you and two of your friends went inside, Chanyeol-ge was running through the forest, at least two kilometers away.”_

_“…. That’s not…. possible.”_

_“What do y-,”_ The communication line suddenly got cut. Yixing tried contacting Kun again but didn’t answer. In fact, no one was answering and it seemed that the line abruptly turned dead. At the same time, Chanyeol’s car came speeding through the road but immediately stopped when he was faced with the barricade of SWAT teams. He tried to back up but the SWAT cars were faster and they trapped Chanyeol inside within minutes. He didn’t come out, though, Yixing could see through the window that he and his sister were talking. Yixing could see Chanyeol’s face clearly as he calmed his sister down.

A couple of minutes passed before someone came banging on the door of the building Yxing was hiding in. They have found him and he was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice the officers who were looking at him and came running towards the building. Chanyeol came out of the car right before the door, five floors below Yixing, was rammed down. Yixing watched as Chanyeol was slammed down against the hood of a car as his sister was escorted away, being let inside a car that drove away almost immediately. The door of the room he was staying in suddenly banged open and Yixing was too frozen in his spot to even register the officers grabbing him from behind. Before he could register what he just saw, they knocked him out.

He had just seen _two_ Chanyeols. One was knocked out, the other wasn’t. One had a clear face and was free of wounds, the other had scratches and a _bandage that Yixing put on, himself_. One was expressionless and limp, the other was smirking and was staring at Yixing with a red glint in his eyes.

One was Chanyeol, the other wasn’t.

Yixing’s not sure which of the two Chanyeols is the Chanyeol currently sleeping right in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain is currently whacked......
> 
> NEXT UP: She gave up. She knows what's happening but she doesn't know what to do about it. She doesn't want anything else except for one thing. She wants to die. She really hopes she does. She's tired. What happens when she really does die?


	25. JUNMYEON

The first time Junmyeon knowingly woke up in her dream, she didn’t think about what was happening around her. She didn’t think about where she was, she didn’t think about what she was doing, she didn’t think about what happened.

Actually, she doesn’t know if she didn’t think about them or she just couldn’t remember.

All she knew was that she felt happy.

It was the first time she genuinely felt like she didn’t have any problems at all.

Junmyeon woke up with her head over a table. Minseok was there beside her. Jongin was also there, eating candy. Apparently, she took a nap after drinking juice – a weirdly colored juice. Junmyeon didn’t think much about it since she did have a habit of sleeping after drinking something. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were also there, parking a car in front of their table. At first, Junmyeon thought it was weird, but then, she realized that they were outdoors with only a thin roof shading them, and so, she thought it was normal.

When Junmyeon asked, Kyungsoo told her that the others were inside the forest, playing among themselves. They were noisy, too. Naturally, Junmyeon stood from her seat and went towards the back of their little outdoor picnic and looked for the others. She saw Sehun walking around, looking everywhere. When she asked, Sehun answered that the others were hiding from him and so, he was trying to find them. Not wanting to spoil the others’ fun, Junmyeon didn’t tell Sehun that she saw Jongin running towards the house.

Jongdae came into her sights a little while after Sehun disappeared when he saw Chanyeol running. The taller smiled at her before he took off when Sehun saw him as well. In the end, Sehun captured neither of them. He complained to her that Chanyeol was cheating with his long legs. Junmyeon retorted that Sehun has equally long legs compared to Chanyeol. She also learned that their giant was running towards the inner trees. Sehun told her about his fear that Chanyeol might get lost so he asked her to go get him while he chases after Jongdae. Immediately, Junmyeon agreed.

Junmyeon got to the inner forest in no time. The trees got thicker and thicker until she couldn’t see much of her surroundings anymore. She heard a rustle on her right.

“Chanyeol?” she called but no one answered. She turned right and followed the rustling. In a distance, she saw brightly colored clothes and bright pink hair. She immediately knew that it was the taller male and so, she called again.

“Chanyeol!” she yelled and the taller turned around and smiled while he waved at her.

“Don’t let Sehun catch me, noona!” he yelled, dashing away from her.

“Hey! You might get lost!” Junmyeon yelled after the taller but Chanyeol got away before she could yell at him again.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulders from behind.

Junmyeon gave out a yell before sharply turning around, prepared to fight. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was just Chanyeol.

Wait, what?

“Who are you yelling at, noona?” Chanyeol asked her as he tipped his head to the side.

“I – I was…. I was yelling at….” Junmyeon stuttered, looking back and forth where she saw Chanyeol running off and to where Chanyeol was currently standing. It didn’t make sense at all since she _saw_ Chanyeol run away from her. He shouldn’t have had enough time to appear behind her.

“Noona, what’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked in a worried tone.

Junmyeon passed out even before she could reply.

Sehun was there when she woke up. He just smiled at her when she finally asked where they were. He didn’t answer her, instead, he just pulled her off of her bed and took her outside. The others were there, playing a game of volleyball on the court right outside of the house. They stopped and smiled at her when she and Sehun showed up on the doorstep. That’s when she saw everything.

And, yet, nothing.

She immediately noticed that they weren’t complete.

They were one person short.

Yixing wasn’t there.

“Where’s Yixing?” Junmyeon asked when he looked around, looking for the slightly younger male. Sehun looked weirdly down at her.

“Who’s Yixing?”

Junmyeon’s brows furrowed when Sehun asked that. She, too, didn’t know who Yixing was but she knew that she knows someone that goes by that name. She kept thinking about him that day and when nighttime came, Junmyeon stared up at her ceiling, still thinking about Yixing.

“Who are you?” Junmyeon asked the ceiling. She knew that he’s slightly younger than him, she knew that his name is Yixing, she knew that he’s studying to be a doctor.

Yet, she didn’t know who he was.

That’s when it started. Junmyeon thought she was starting to forget things. She slowly started to ask herself who she was talking about as the days passed by. Once, she completely forgot who Yixing was until she got reminded because of their talk about unicorns. But slowly, Yixing faded from her thoughts. Soon, he disappeared completely.

Until Junmyeon was reminded _again_ when she counted them and realized that they were only six in total. They were short of one person then, but now, they were short of two. Sehun disappeared and the memory of Yixing came whirling back into Junmyeon’s mind, hitting her like a ton of bricks in the head. She remembered Yixing, she remembered Sehun. The only problem was the others didn’t know who they were.

And Junmyeon was starting to forget _again_.

She started carving names on the side of her bed on the night she remembered Sehun and Yixing. She wrote all of their names: Minseok, Lu Han, Yifan, Junmyeon, Yixing, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Zitao, Jongin, Sehun. She carved them in order and outlined them with a black marker that she found in the house. She promised herself that she would remember them all. She made an oath in front of her members’ names.

But then, Jongin disappeared one day and as usual, Junmyeon forgot, again.

At first, everything was fine, but things went south when Junmyeon started to remember.

When she remembered who Jongin was, she lost her mind. She threw a fit inside the house. She threw stuff on the walls, she smashed vases, she flipped tables and chairs over, she even turned her bed to the side, revealing all the names that were carved on the side to the others.

“Who are these? What have you been doing to yourself, Junmyeon?!” Minseok yelled over Junmyeon’s wailing. She was distraught, disheveled and her sanity slowly went down the drain when she forgot six of her members’ names.

“This is not real!” Junmyeon yelled at her counterpart when he had asked about the names again.

“Junmyeon, look at me!” Minseok yelled, grabbing Junmyeon by the shoulders and making her look at him. The others had been outside the room at that time, watching the scene unfold with fear in their eyes. Junmyeon couldn’t care less about them because she was absolutely positive that they aren’t her real members.

“Don’t touch me!” Junmyeon yelled back as she struggled in Minseok’s arms when he encased her with his upper limbs. It was no use, anyway, since Junmyeon was shorter and Minseok was stronger than her by a lot.

“Stop struggling!” Minseok shouted, tightening his hold.

That was when Junmyeon calmed down.

Well, technically, she did calm down.

Because when she pulled herself away from Minseok’s hold, dashing out of her bedroom and rushing up the stairs and into the rooftop, Junmyeon felt happy, relieved and calm.

Like how she felt the first time she woke up in their picnic.

She stared out into the horizon and enjoyed the wind rushing past her. The air smelled fresh and the atmosphere was light. Junmyeon thought she might’ve gotten high.

“Junmyeon, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Junmyeon looked behind her shoulder and into the eyes of her counterpart. She saw nothing but pain in his glossy eyes. The others rushed up right behind the older.

Kyungsoo stared up at her with tears in her eyes as she pleaded for her to calm down and they can settle everything.

Junmyeon just blinked.

Chanyeol was telling her to look at them so she could see what she was going to all of them.

Junmyeon turned around and faced them.

Baekhyun told her to walk towards them so they could hug her while she tells them what’s wrong.

Junmyeon took a step back.

Jongdae told her that she didn’t need to do what she was about to do and that all of them could go through what she was going through.

Junmyeon couldn’t care less; she couldn’t feel, she couldn’t think.

“I’m serious, Junmyeon!” Minseok shouted at her.

Junmyeon stepped up the ledge.

“I’m warning you!”

Junmyeon smiled.

“Don’t you dare!”

Junmyeon jumped.

_“Junmyeon!”_

Junmyeon felt scared.

The look on Minseok’s face seemed real. The pain seemed real, the tears seemed real, Minseok seemed real. She had watched him run towards her in slow motion before he disappeared from her sight, her surroundings being replaced immediately with white walls, machines, a mirror and everything white.

Junmyeon shot up from her bed only to recoil painfully against the hard surface. She was crying when she woke up. She couldn’t even reach up to wipe her tears away because her wrists were bound to the bed. She looked around and saw Baekhyun, Jongdae and Minseok sleeping in their respective beds around her. Junmyeon sighed in relief, at least she was right; she really did have a dream.

“I must say, you’ve done quite a bit of damage to the Dreamscape project.”

Junmyeon stared at the ceiling, where the sudden voice seemingly came from.

“What?” her brows furrowed, looking around with tears still lining her cheeks.

“As you may have noticed, you were dreaming.” The voice said, emotionlessly. “Also, you’ve noticed that three of your members aren’t present in the dream, correct?”

“What have you done with them?” Junmyeon hissed at the ceiling, her anger rising.

“Nothing. They simply woke up and were removed from the Dreamscape. It was fine, though, since we all got what we wanted. Your ability is nice, by the way. I’m not even sure if you realize how powerful it is.”

That was when Junmyeon realized that they’ve been put to sleep for a long time as the people who took them stole their abilities. The method as to how they did it, Junmyeon doesn’t know. The reason why they took it, Junmyeon doesn’t know, either. The only thing she’s positive about is that she couldn’t feel the others anymore; She couldn’t feel her partner anymore.

It was like their four-year separation all over again.

Junmyeon didn’t want to experience being away from her family ever again. Not being able to see the others after a long time is one thing, being away from Miinseok and not being able to feel him is another. Junmyeon’s not sure which one is worse. All she knows is that she didn’t like either of them happening. Especially now, when she lost contact with one of her maknaes.

Yixing was wheeled inside their tiny room a day after Junmyeon woke up. He was unconscious but he had something different on him that Junmyeon and the others didn’t have.

Or, rather, he _didn’t_ have something that Junmyeon and the others had.

The blue liquid, as Junmyeon learned from the noisy voice that kept talking to her through the speakers, allows them to share the same settings of dreams but their dreams were always a different scenario from the others. Their dreams are connected, yet, separate at the same time – Junmyeon got confused when the voice told her that. Ever since they were sent inside the laboratory, they were already subjected to the blue liquid and they’ve been asleep for most of the time. The only problem with the project was – Junmyeon couldn’t believe how irritatingly useful the voice was – once you wake up, you can’t be sent back to the dream, no matter how many dosages you take. Apparently, that was only one of many flaws in the experiment. Another, being Yixing’s case.

Yixing couldn’t be subjected to the liquid. For one and a half years of testing, no matter what they did, Yixing couldn’t be brought to the Dreamscape. His body always rejected the blue liquid but it did put him to sleep often. Though, the true intention of the liquid couldn’t be done to him. As addition to their, already overflowing, frustration – the voice grudgingly admitted to Junmyeon – Yixing’s ability couldn’t be extracted. They tried and tried but they always failed. Junmyeon snickered at that one, she was happy that the people who took them were suffering but she wasn’t happy, not even in the slightest, when she learned that Yixing was still being experimented on up to the recent time. She promised herself that she will get them all out. She promised herself that she wouldn’t lose anyone else. She didn’t want to go through Yifan and Lu Han’s deaths again.

Until she found out that Zitao was already dead.

“I’m so fucking useless.” Junmyeon repeated to herself as she rocked back and forth in her corner.

It was the fourth time she woke up after being subjected to the blue liquid multiple times – they only did it to put her to sleep because apparently, she was scaring them. She had been inside of a small, concrete room when they told her that her baby was dead. She refused to believe it but they kept telling her that he was gone a long time ago and Junmyeon wasted all that time trying to reach their eternal maknae.

“I’m so fucking useless.” she repeated again and again, pulling on her hair and lightly coating it with blood from her hands. Her knuckles were bleeding badly after she repeatedly punched the door in the corner of the room, yelling at the person on the other side of the speaker to let them out. She slid down the corner afterwards, realizing that they weren’t going to be let out anytime soon. Junmyeon curled on herself and rocked back and forth, muttering how pathetic she was as a leader – how she was the worst leader out there.

“Yeah, your kind of the most useless one in the world.” The voice said, adding salt to Junmyeon’s open wounds.

“I know.” Junmyeon whispered as she cried. “I know.” She repeated.

“I mean, if I were a leader, I wouldn’t let my members die.”

“I know.”

“And I won’t let us separate when we are in danger of getting captured.”

“I know, I made the worst decision possible.”

“And I would take care of my members.”

“I fucking know that I fucked up, alright?!”

Junmyeon snapped and began screaming.

“I know that everything I did was wrong! I know that everything I did hurt us! I know that I didn’t take care of my members well enough!” she yelled, her face turning red in anger – angry at both herself and at the whole situation thy were in.

“You’re right.” The voice said. “You even said it to yourself a lot of times already.” He paused.

“You’re useless.”

Junmyeon stumbled back, curling to herself again.

“You’re not fit to be a leader.”

Junmyeon bit her lip to prevent her from crying out loud.

“You’re not even good enough to be anybody.”

Junmyeon passed out from crying to herself.

The fifth time Junmyeon woke up, she was back inside the small white room with the others. Yixing wasn’t there anymore; it was just her, Jongdae, Minseok and Baekhyun. She hasn’t seen Kyungsoo or Chanyeol or her maknaes yet and it made her anxious.

But then, Junmyeon has lost all the will to live.

When Baekhyun woke up, she explained what happened to them but other than that, she didn’t do anything. Baekhyun was the first person she actually spoke with – she plainly ignored the voice as if it wasn’t there; the voice got angry about it, too – and it relieved Junmyeon to some degree since she was able to peak to someone other than herself – mostly telling herself how useless she is. Then, nurses showed up and ruined everything. They drugged her once again, putting her to sleep.

The seventh time Junmyeon woke up, drugs after drugs, another voice decided to speak to her.

It was different from the other voice that kept annoying the heck out of Junmyeon. His tone was lighter; his pitch was a bit higher than the other voice but it still sounded like a male’s voice.

“Are you sure you’re not feeling high from all those drugs?” the voice asked, actually sounding concerned. He sounded significantly different from the other voice. But even so, Junmyeon pretended not to notice the tone in the person’s voice as she replied.

“No.” she said. “On the contrary, I feel nothing.”

“Your brain activity is lowering, as well.” The voice said, trailing off at the end of his sentence. “Your brain’s going to die, if you keep that up.”

“Why not?” Even Junmyeon surprised herself at what she said.

“You seriously want to leave everything and everyone and just die?” the voice asked, surprise evident in his tone.

“No.” Junmyeon whispered, highly doubting that the person behind the speaker heard her. “I don’t want to leave the others.” She muttered as she looked at everyone. Her eyes stopped at Minseok’s sleeping form.

“If you die, you’re going to leave him behind.” The voice said. Junmyeon was, once again, surprised at the tone. But, then again, they did experiment on them so Junmyeon thought that he was putting up an act. He did seem genuinely concerned, though.

“Kim Minseok would shatter if he woke up one day and saw you dead beside him.”

“How do you know what Minseok will do if I die?” Junmyeon asked, looking up at the camera in the corner of the room.

“I’ve watched through his dreams and I can safely say that they’re all about you.” The voice said. “Your dreams are influenced by what you feel and want you want. Kim Minseok wants to be with you, so in his dream, he’s always with you. He’s occasionally with you maknae, as well.” Junmyeon’s brows furrowed.

“If it’s true that our dreams are connected, and when one wakes up, they are eradicated from the dream, then shouldn’t Minseok realize that I’m not there if he’s always with me? The same goes with Sehun since he was the first to wake up?” Junmyeon raised a brow at the camera.

“As you predicted when Byun Baekhyun woke up, time works differently in the Dreamscape. It’s different for every person. If one wakes up, if could take hours, days, or maybe even weeks or months for you to disappear from the dream of others. For your case, you’ve already woken up two weeks ago. In Byun Baekhyun’s dream, you disappeared two days ago. In Kim Minseok’s, you’re only disappearing now.”

On cue, Minseok shot up from his bed and frantically looked around. Junmyeon legitimately got shocked when he bolted up. Minseok gave out a loud sigh of relief when his eyes landed on Junmyeon’s own. He visibly deflated against his bed, still panting and shaking off his fear.

“I don’t want to have dreams ever again.” Minseok panted, closing his eyes shut. Junmyeon remained silent and she knew Minseok immediately noticed something was wrong just but her lack of retort but she didn’t say anything.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Minseok sat up on his bed, looking at Junmyeon. Junmyeon wanted to punch him, to make him see what was wrong right in front of him. They were in a laboratory, for goodness’ sakes! She wanted to slap some sense into him.

But Junmyeon found herself smiling, anyways.

It was the first time she _actually felt_ something.

“I told you.” The voice said and then, he didn’t speak again.

Minseok didn’t comment about the voice, either.

For some reason, that voice was the only one that didn’t call them by their laboratory identities. So far, Junmyeon has heard three different voices from three different people through the speakers of the room. One was super annoying, but at the same time, ot was the one who told her how useless she was. It’s also the same voice that fed information to Junmyeon. The second was low, dark and unemotional. Junmyeon has only heard it twice – once when she first woke up and the second time when she screamed so hard at the nurses that the speaker turned on and shouted back at her to be quiet. The third voice was the voice she heard once and only at that time. It’s the only one that Junmyeon likes, even in the slightest, because of obvious reasons. She never heard the voice ever again.

Jongdae woke up shortly after Minseok did, startling both Junmyeon and her counterpart. Junmyeon expected to be put to sleep again, only waking up when another member woke up. She was glad she didn’t see any nurses come in to put all of them to sleep.

Of course, the feeling of relief didn’t last long.

Just when Junmyeon was already starting to get herself together, nurses in white barged into the small white room and pulled out syringes with bright blue liquid. At that point, Junmyeon was already used to it and she just let it happen.

Once again, she felt tired and unable to do anything.

Junmyeon closed her eyes and secretly hoped she didn’t wake up ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love our leader!!
> 
> NEXT UP: He fought hard to make them stop hurting him. He answered every question to make them happy. He learns something about him that he doesn't know he has. He learns something else that he wished he never learned because look at it! No matter what he did, it's always fucking the same with everything he has!


	26. CHANYEOL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was late in posting. Our connectivity was down until now.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!!
> 
> And stay safe!

“Pl – please…... s – stop.”

Chanyeol whined for the nth time since he got there.

“P – plea….se….”

Another wave of ice cold water blasted through the hose stationed right in front of him. He gasped as the jet of water collided with his chest, forcefully sending him back against the wall. The rough concrete surface dug on his back, doubling the pain he was feeling.

“No more.” He begged, curling into a ball where he collapsed on his feet. Everything was wet, his hair, his skin, his clothes, he thought that he even swallowed at least a gallon or two of water from only the wave today.

This treatment started when he woke up inside that white tiled room. The four walls that he was encased in was cold, tight, and terrifying. Chanyeol knows that he was away from the others, so far away that they wouldn’t even hear him scream – he wasn’t even sure if they were captured as well. He thinks he’s the only one who got caught. He kept answering and answering questions that was brought to his way in order not to get blasted again. Once, he thought that he could lie about his answers.

But when he tried, only once, a jet of water blasted towards him and smashed his head back again the wall behind him, causing him to black out. When he woke up, the first thing that greeted him was another jet of cold water and a warning that if he lies again, the blasts will get stronger and stronger.

“Please…... stop.” He begged again like he always did. He pulled his legs towards his body, dragging the heels of his feet against the wet floor, and squeezed them tight inside his arms. He whimpered, cried even, for the abuse to stop. He was cold, freezing, with no towel or new clothes or even _someone_ to warm him.

“Subject number 61, are you ready to answer?”

“Wh – what should I – I answer?” Chanyeol asked through chattering teeth.

“Many years ago, you were stuck inside a maze with the other eleven, correct?”

“Y – yes.”

“It was you who saw through it and found the exit. Is that right?”

“N – no.”

Another jet of water hit him square in the face, the force sending his head colliding with the wall behind him. He shielded his face with his arms and provided a few seconds for him to breath.

“I – It wa – wasn’t me! J – Jongin was the on – one who found the exit!”

The jet of water slowed down and made Chanyeol breath properly again. He heaved and wheezed, trying to get as much oxygen as possible. His chest hurt, like he was punched so many times that his lungs collapsed.

“But you informed your teleporter, correct?”

Chanyeol was tempted not to answer and he knows that he would probably pass out after the next blast. He didn’t have the strength to answer; he didn’t even have the strength to open his eyes anymore.

“Y – yes, I did.” Shutting his lids close.

“How did you realize that the exit was at the center of the maze?”

Chanyeol’s brows furrowed. He just _knew._ When they first arrived at the maze, they were kept inside a small room with a single bed and a small television that showed their counterpart. Chanyeol has been getting nothing from the first month. The second, though, that’s when it started.

Images flashed into his mind. Images of the others’ states, of what they were doing, of what was happening. Chanyeol saw everything. At first, he thought he was hallucinating, like he was imagining what was happening to the others – once, he even thought that he was finally going crazy – but when he saw an image of Jongdae running towards him with a bunch of men in white, screaming “What the hell?! Stay back!”, then seconds later, it happened right in front of his eyes, Chanyeol knew he wasn’t just imagining and hallucinating. It started off small with the members.

Later, it progressed to images of the outside world through the exit. That’s when Chanyeol knew they were going to escape. A little over half a year later, the images stopped but they remained engraved inside Chanyeol’s head.

“Subject number 61, you are taking too long to answer.”

Another jet of water hit his chest. As he predicted earlier, he passed out in a heap of wetness.

Chanyeol was disoriented when he woke up.

“What the-,” he croaked out when he opened his eyes, only to flinch at the brightness of the lights hanging directly above him. The rooms smelled like bleach and disinfectant and Chanyeol didn’t like both of those things – it hurt his sensitive nose; the others joked that it was because he has a dog’s nose. His arms were bound to the bed he was in and the cuffs around his wrists were digging on his skin every time he pulled; his legs seemed bound, too.

“Chanyeol.” Someone called in front of him. His eyes adjusted a while ago but it was only then when he realized that he wasn’t alone in the room.

“Hyung.” He called, voice hoarse and throat hurting. He coughed, only making this throat hurt even more.

“Hey, don’t talk if your hurts.” Yixing, who was sitting on the bed right in front of him, said. Chanyeol could tell that he was being a bit cautious. He understands; they’re inside a laboratory, who, in their right mind, would want to be in a place like this?

“Hmm.” He hummed a bit. He cleared his throat after a few seconds and he was glad that he didn’t have to talk like there’s sandpaper on his throat.

“Are you alright?” Yixing asked, leaning forwards. Chanyeol craned his head forwards so he could see Yixing. He saw that his wrists were bound to the bed, too, but not his legs.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol said after clearing his throat again. He looked at Yixing properly. He was wearing an all-white attire; his pale skin was blending in with his clothes. There was a printed number on the collar of his button up shirt. It says the number “10”.

“What’s with the number on your shirt, hyung?” Chanyeol asked, brows furrowing.

“Apparently, they gave us numbers; like instead of names, they call us by numbers.” Yixing explained, face contorting to a frown.

“What does mine say?” Chanyeol asked, tilting his head back to get Yixing a better view of his collar.

“It says ‘61’” their healer said.

“Why 61?” Chanyeol muttered, looking at ceiling since he didn’t have much of a choice. His limbs were bound and his movement is limited.

Chanyeol was confused at the whole situation, thinking back to when he first woke up. One minute, he was living his life in a colorful world of pure positivity. The next, he was woken up by a jet of water, answering questions. Then the next, he was strapped to a bed, wearing all-white clothes with a number on this collar.

He might not admit it, but, he really liked the dream he had. He knew something was wrong ever since he got there because he kept thinking about a girl – he didn’t know who she was – and throughout his time there, he was thinking of her but he couldn’t give an accurate description of what she looked like or who she was but the thought was always there. It was perplexing to Chanyeol since the only girls he knew were Junmyeon and Kyungsoo and they were always there and Chanyeol didn’t know why he was thinking about a person that was literally right in front of him. He didn’t tell anyone about the thoughts he had in his head; he thought it was unimportant.

When he woke up in that dark room, wet to his bones, he realized that he was looking for his sister.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed ever since his capture in the highway. He believed that whatever happened, Junmyeon and the others would get to him – unless, of course, they were captured too. He doesn’t know what happened to Chaeyoung but knowing Jaehyun – even though they literally met each other only weeks prior to their mission and his capture – he knew that she would be far away from harm. He made sure to make Jaehyun take care of his sister while he was away. He knows that the younger would tell Johnny, only increasing security over her. Still, Chanyeol couldn’t help but worry for her.

“Chanyeol.”

“Hyung?” Chanyeol craned his head up to look at Yixing. The older seemed liked he was about to ask him something but he stopped when the doors were thrown open, revealing identical nurses that strolled inside the small room, making it more cramp.

“Hey, hey, _hey, HEY!”_ Chanyeol’s limbs, _uselessly_ , flailed –he does that when he panics – as he yelled. Yixing was also struggling from across him, trying to fight off the nurses that came next to his bed.

The nurses next to Chanyeol pushed his limbs down, even his strength wasn’t enough to fight them off. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the nurses raising a syringe with blue liquid inside.

“No!” Yixing yelled, Chanyeol saw him kicking and pulling on his cuffs. “Don’t!” he yelled, a bit louder than before.

“Don’t send him back!”

Chanyeol fell limp on the bed.

“Subject number 61.”

Chanyeol jerked awake at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. It took a while for him to realize that he was sitting on the corner of a stone-walled room and not in a bed like how he woke up hours – Days? – ago. He doesn’t remember. Chanyeol squinted his eyes at the light coming from the center of the room. It was the only thing he could see aside from the cement walls and dark grey floors. He looked down on himself and saw that he was still wearing his white clothes, the cloth devoid of any dirt and dust – which is ironic since he was sitting on the floor.

“Subject number 61, Park Chanyeol.” The voice said again.

“Huh?” Chanyeol rubbed his face, getting rid of the lingering feeling of sleep. “Where am I?” he asked himself.

“ID number 27-11-92.”

What’s that?

“The Phoenix.”

That’s him.

“Has fogged memory.”

What?

“Subject number 61, Park Chanyeol. Has been having trouble remembering memories and events for the past six years, especially those concerning Subject number 12, Subject number 04 and Subject number 21.”

“Who are those?”

“Even memories of himself are disoriented.”

Chanyeol’s brows furrowed. It’s true that his memories are foggy but he could still remember things. It’s just that he couldn’t remember them in detail. The one thing that he _really_ couldn’t remember was that incident in Phoenix, where he supposedly burned the forest down. Until now, he’s not entirely convinced that that was him.

“Let Subject number 12 in, please.”

There were sudden knocking sounds that rang in Chanyeol’s ears as he whipped his head towards the door on the other side of the room. The door opened and revealed two nurses in white with red visors over their faces. They were carrying someone in their arms, someone who was wearing the same white clothes as Chanyeol. At a single glance, Chanyeol knew who that person was. The short but thin form and the long black hair was a dead giveaway.

“Kyungsoo!” he yelled as he pushed himself up from his spot. He ran towards the two nurses in record speed but they roughly dropped – threw – Kyungsoo on the floor before locking the door shut, not giving Chanyeol a chance to escape or even get a glimpse of the other side.

“Soo, wake up.” Chanyeol said as he took Kyungsoo in his arms. Chanyeol’s eyes narrowed at the number “12” that was printed on her collar. The younger was unconscious but it didn’t look like she has any wounds or bruises on her. She didn’t look in pain, which was the only reason why Chanyeol was relieved, despite the situation.

“Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol lightly tapped Kyungsoo’s cheeks, coaxing her to wake up. “Soo.” He whispered, laying her down on the ground. He called again, sighing when Kyungsoo didn’t speak nor squirm. He silently stayed by Kyungsoo’s side after that, not saying a word as he closed his eyes.

“-nyeol?”

Abruptly, Chanyeol’s eyes flew open. He was still sitting beside Kyungsoo, who was still lying on the ground. Chanyeol had placed his white jacket on top of her to provide warmth since the floor was cold and when Chanyeol looked down, Kyungsoo was still there, still in the same position with his jacket still covering her.

“Kyungsoo!” Kyungsoo flinched lightly, her eyes were still half open and was in trouble of closing again. Chanyeol realized that she had just woken up and was having trouble staying awake.

“Soo, are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you feel anything weird?” he slowly asked, not wanting to startle the girl even more. Slowly, Kyungsoo’s eyes started to open fully, taking in the sight of their surroundings – which isn’t much since they were still inside the cold stone-walled room. Everything was literally dark and grey.

“I’m fine.” Kyungsoo finally said as she sat up, but with the help of Chanyeol. “How about you?”

“I’m fine, too.” Chanyeol answered, letting the girl lean against him since she was still swaying, haaving trouble keeping her balance. Chanyeol could feel that she was stiff, though.

“Subject number 12, Do Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol sneered at the camera stationed above the door in the corner for startling Kyungsoo and making her flinch.

“ID number 12-01-93. The earth-bearer.”

Kyungsoo stayed silent as she fixed herself. Chanyeol sat quietly next to her.

“The only one who knew but refused to wake up from the Dreamscape Project.”

“What’s that?” Chanyeol blurted before he could stop himself.

“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo answered, clutching Chanyeol’s jacket wrapped around her.

“The Dreamscape Project is an experiment that you participated in after being captured. It allows all of you to share the same dream setting but in different circumstances, depending on the person’s mindset. When one wakes, they are removed from the dream with no traces of ever being there.” the voice said.

“Subject number 12 was the only one who remembered Subject number 10, Zhang Yixing, in detail and she was the only one who remembered everyone even when they’ve woken up. We don’t know why or how she remembers everything. The study on her head is still on going, but first, we needed her to wake up.”

“Why did you throw me in here, then?” Kyungsoo asked, looking straight into the camera.

“We needed someone familiar to try to wake you up.” the voice answered. Chanyeol’s brows furrowed. Why him? Not that he’s complaining, anyways.

“All the others are either asleep or being tested on. Subject number 61 was the only one awake without any tests being conducted on him.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, so did Kyungsoo’s. The others are being experimented on like rats. Chanyeol gritted his teeth, anger rising dramatically. Kyungsoo must’ve noticed, probably by how red his hair was turning, because when she looked at him, she flinched.

“Extract Subject number 12.”

The door banged open and revealed the nurses that were there before – Chanyeol didn’t know if they were the same nurses or they were new ones because they all looked the same – and marched towards Kyungsoo. Chanyeol growled at them as he pulled the younger behind him, protecting her from the hands of the nurses. They backed up until Kyungsoo hit the corner wall behind them and because Chanyol’s build was significantly larger that hers, he was completely blocking her from the nurses.

“You’re not taking her!” Chanyeol yelled as he reached back and searched for Kyungsoo’s hand behind him. He could’ve sworn he felt her try to flinch away at the contact, but he let it slide. He gripped her hand tighter. He knew that Kyungsoo was keeping a stern face, but the way her small hand trembled made Chanyeol angrier.

More nurses appeared, advancing towards Chanyeol. He flicked every hand that came near him, using his strength to push them away. He knew that soon, he was going to lose and Kyungsoo was going to get caught but Chanyeol was not giving in. Not when he knew that they were going to experiment on Kyungsoo.

He wasn’t going to let that happen.

They can take her over his cold, dead body.

“Kyungsoo, I’ll make a way for you to pass through them. When it’s clear, run towards the door and escape okay?” Chanyeol whispered, pressing his back against Kyungsoo. He could feel her grip his clothes as her other hand gripped his hand tighter, her breathing hot on his back.

“What about you?” she whispered back, looking up at Chanyeol and meeting his eyes.

Chanyeol’s heart beat hastened.

“Don’t worry, I’ll follow after you. Just keep running and try to find the others.”

“Alright.”

Chanyeol reluctantly let go of Kyungsoo’s hand and charged, colliding with the hoard of nurses, clearing a way for Kyungsoo.

“Go!” by the look of Kyungsoo’s face, she wasn’t expecting him to do what he just did but she ran anyways, darting towards the door. Some nurses followed her but Chanyeol pulled them back. Kyungsoo, being a runner in high school, was out the door in record time.

Chanyeol was beaten up by the nurses the moment he got distracted by watching Kyungsoo run out the door.

“Go after Subject number 12!” the voice boomed through the speaker. The nurses rushed out, shutting the metal door behind them and leaving Chanyeol lying sprawled out on the ground with a bruise on his face.

“Everything hurts.” He groaned, trying to sit up without aggravating any wounds.

There was a knock on the door.

“Please enter.” The voice above him said. The door slowly opened again.

Chanyeol’s eyes widened at what he saw.

_Himself._

“Hello.” _The man_ waved at him as he entered the room. Chanyeol was too out of it so stop staring. He didn’t even realize that his mouth was hanging open.

 _The man_ was wearing the same white clothes as him, _he_ has the same face as him, _he_ has the same pale skin and same red hair. Everything was so accurate and identical; it was like Chanyeol was looking at a mirror.

The only difference he could see between them was the number on the collar of _his_ shirt.

Chanyeol’s was “61”, the other Chanyeol’s was “X-61”

“You know it’s rude to stare at someone like that. Especially when they greeted you.”

“Who the hell are you?!” Chanyeol finally led out, pointing an accusatory finger at the man in front of him. _The man_ , _X-61_ , crouched near him and stared into Chanyeol’s eyes – it was scarily identical to his own brown eyes.

“I’m you.” X-61 said, pointing at Chanyeol. “Only better.” he grinned, white teeth showing. Is that how Chanyeol looks like when he grins? He made a mental note to never grin again because he looked like he was about to eat him – the whole situation itself was already sending him nightmares.

“What the hell?!” Chanyeol scrambled back, his heels pushing him against the cold wall behind him to the point of being squished in between them. “You’re me?!”

“Pretty much, yeah.” the other Chanyeol in front of him shrugged before he smirked – smirking is also now prohibited – leaning forwards.

“How can you be me?!” Chanyeol screeched, pointing at the other Chanyeol.

“Well, technically, I’m _not you_ , but I am?” X-61 raised a brow and looked at the side in a thinking pose. “Does that make any sense?”

“What do you think?!” Chanyeol yelled, curling his fingers. “None of this make sense!”

“Actually, it does. When you know the whole story behind it.” the voice, which was the same voice as earlier but it seemed that the person on the other side has calmed down significantly after their outburst earlier, said.

“You’re going to tell him now?” X-61 asked after standing and turning around, looking directly at the security camera.

“Well, he’ll keep yelling at you if I don’t. To be frank, his voice is annoying, which, in turn, makes _your_ voice annoying.”

“Shut up. At least I don’t have the voice of a child.”

“It’s still better than having a voice that sounds like you’ve been tuned to sound an octave or two lower than intended.”

“How is having a child’s voice any better?! You’re, like, years older than me!”

“You know, you’re only eight years old, right?”

“Bitch, what the fuck?! Come out and say that to my face, you motherfucker!”

“Shut up. Anyway, Park Chanyeol.”

“Huh?” Both Chanyeols turned towards the camera. X-61 called a little louder than Chanyeol.

“Not you, idiot! The real one.”

“What?” Chanyeol spat after getting his bearings together during the little argument X-61 and the voice had.

“My, you look like you’re not bothered at all by this situation.”

“Trust me, I’m freaking out!” Chanyeol said as he stood, staying on his spot, glaring at X-61.

“Well, that’s one way to say it.” the voice said. There was silence between them. Even the Chanyeol in front of him was silent. X-61 suddenly smirked, making Chanyeol’s eyes widen. It was the same smirk he saw before he passed out when he was captured in the highway. The other Chanyeol opened his mouth.

“I’m Subject Number X-61, AKA Chanyeøl, your clone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our first clone!!
> 
> NEXT UP: He and his counterpart woke up inside a glass cage. Suddenly, two people bearing the same face as them came and taunted them to fucking death.


	27. MINSEOK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wash your hands and drink lots of water!

Waking up inside a tight glass box wasn’t something up Minseok’s alley; it was most definitely up Chanyeol’s, or maybe even Baekhyun’s alleys. That was why Minseok slightly freaked out when he opened his eyes and saw nothing but glass. He didn’t even know how he slept standing up because there was no room for him to sit, he barely had enough room to move his arms and legs.

Minseok reached up and touched the cold glass in front of him. Using his knuckles, he knocked on it once, twice, thrice, until he began banging on it.

“Hello?!” he yelled, flinching at the sound of his own voice reverberating inside the box. He couldn’t see much of what was outside except for something glowing at the end of the room. Based on the steady blinking of the light, it was probably a machine of some kind. Aside from that, he couldn’t see anything else.

“Hello?!” he called again as he squinted to get a good look of the surroundings for something that was familiar. “Anyone there?”

“Oppa!”

Even when he’s dead, Minseok will never forget that voice.

“Myeon!” he yelled, not bothered by the sound of his own voice echoing inside the box anymore. When it came to Junmyeon, he didn’t care about anything else. “Myeon, where are you?!”

“Behind you!” Minseok heard his counterpart yell. He turned around – with a bit of difficulty because of the tight space – and sure enough, he saw his partner.

His _caged_ partner.

Abruptly, he stopped, his insides filling with rage. Junmyeon was in the same state as him; she was tightly encased inside a glass box, too. She didn’t have any wounds on her and she looked fine but Miinseok knew that she was far from fine. He knew something was wrong with her when he woke up. He just didn’t have the time to ask what.

 _“Are you alright?”_ Minseok tried to ask through their link.

Keyword: tried.

He didn’t get a response. Minseok tried again.

_“Myeon?”_

Nothing.

Minseok’s eyes widened.

Junmyeon was trying to tell him something but Minseok wasn’t paying attention. His gaze was fixated on his hands. They felt…… cold. His browed furrowed as he placed his palms against the cold glass.

Cold….

He never felt the cold before.

Plus, he couldn’t feel his link with his counterpart.

The only reason why he would feel the cold and why he couldn’t contact Junmyeon would be……

“Are our abilities gone?” he looked straight into Junmyeon’s eyes. His counterpart was silent, Minseok knew what his partner’s look meant.

“They’re…... gone?” Minseok whispered, looking down on his hands.

“Of course they are!”

Minseok cringed at the pitch of the new voice that came from nowhere.

“Hello!”

Minseok fumed at the sight of a woman coming out from the shadows of the room. She came from Minseok’s right, the darkness preventing him from seeing her face. Minseok heard Junmyeon make a sharp intake of breath. Even when he couldn’t feel her and even with a whole space standing between them, Minseok knew Junmyeon was starting to get terrified. The reason? He doesn’t know.

“Who the hell are you?!” he sneered at the woman standing in front of him. Her torso was still covered in the dark so Minseok couldn’t see what she looked like. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she put her weight on one foot, standing near Minseok’s glass cage. She was wearing the same white clothes as the ones Minseok and Junmyeon were wearing.

That’s weird.

The only ones wearing those type of clothes were the nine of them and he’s sure as hell that woman isn’t Kyungsoo.

“Who…. Are you?” Minseok asked, narrowing his eyes at the woman. He leaned forwards, almost pressing his face against the glass. Come to think of it, the features on the woman’ body seemed familiar, like he’s seen it countless times before.

A pale hand suddenly reached up to touch the glass wall in front of Minseok’s face, the woman’s fingers drummed on it slowly.

“Aww, come on, Min. You wouldn’t forget my voice, won’t you?”

Minseok gasped as he stepped back, which was totally useless since his feet got nowhere to go. He pressed his palms against the glass wall behind him as the woman stepped forwards, finally letting the faint glow around the room light her face up.

It was Junmyeon.

Except, it wasn’t Junmyeon.

Because Junmyeon was still inside the glass cage right in front of Minseok, _behind the other Junmyeon._

“You’re not her.” Minseok said under his breath. “You can’t be her.” His gaze found Junmyeon’s, the real one – _his real counterpart_ – and they shared the same terrified expression.

“Of course I’m not.” The Junmyeon in front of him, the fake one, said as she waved a hand around before she settled it back across her chest. “As to can see, I’m X-01, not 01.” She craned her neck back and let Minseok see the printed letter and number on her collar.

“Plus, you can see her there.” the fake Junmyeon cocked her head back, towards the real Junmyeon. “That makes me a completely different person, right?”

“Who are you?” Minseok cautiously asked, glaring at the fake Junmyeon in front of him.

“I’m Kim Junmyeon’s clone, Suhø.” The fake Junmyeon, _Suhø_ , said as she stepped forwards, forehead almost touching Minseok’s glass cage.

“Clone?!” Junmyeon gasped. Minseok saw her press herself against her glass cage, probably to hear the conversation better.

“Yep!” Suhø beamed, clapping her hands together in an annoying rate.

“You act like a fucking kid.”

Minseok’s eyes widened impossibly at the sound of the new voice.

_His voice._

“What the fuck?!” he screeched when he saw _himself_ come out from the shadows of the room. _He_ wore the same clothes he was wearing; he has the same face, the same features…. The same _everything._

“Wow.” _The man_ said. “And here I thought Junmyeon prevents you from swearing.” _He_ smirked.

“This is Subject Number X-99, your clone.” Suhø said as she pointed at the collar of the other Minseok in front of him. Minseok saw the printed “X-99” on the other Minseok’s collar.

“To make things easier, his name is Xiůmin.” Suhø said as she smiled – not the smile Minseok loves seeing on Junmyeon, but the smile that he _hates_ on her.

Wow, Minseok hates something about Junmeon.

That’s a first.

“Suhø, I think they’re broken.” Xiůmin said all of a sudden, glancing at Junmyeon and Minseok.

“They’re just confused, don’t mind them.” Suhø said as she waved her hand in the air.

“Yeah, no shit!” Minseok cursed, banging on the glass door. The two clones in front of him didn’t even flinch. “What did you do to the others?! Did they clone them too?!”

“Duh?” Suhø said, raising a brow. “Why do you think you’re here in the first place?” she asked.

“You should know that they have been perfecting the cloning project ever since 2010? It’s already 2018, you know.”

Minseok’s eyes widened, and so did Junmyeon’s. Since 2010? That was the year that they had first been captured with Yifan, Lu Han and Zitao. Truthfully, it was the first time Minseok was hearing the reason behind their capture. He always thought it was because the _Red Force_ wanted to play with them. Jiwon had always said that _they_ wanted to get the power of the Tree of Life and that was why they separated them from the Tree. Back then, when they returned, Minseok and the others thought that the Tree isn’t alive anymore. They were shocked to see the Tree protected and still alive and well even after two years of negligence.

If what Suhø – Minseok’s still having a hard time to comprehend that she’s Junmyeon’s _clone_ – said was true, then _they’ve_ been working on cloning them _for eight years!_ Come to think of it, Minseok doesn’t remember anything happening to them when they were stuck inside the maze six – no, eight – years ago. They were probably asleep for most of the time.

Like how they were asleep for another two years until now.

“Seriously, you haven’t realized anything?” Xiůmin asked, turning to Junmyeon.

“How could we?” Junmyeon asked, her voice seething. Minseok knew she was in the verge of a mental breakdown. Minseok is, too. “We were put to sleep for two years when we were in that maze. All we remember is running around endlessly! We weren’t given an explanation, they just continued to chase after us!”

“Yeah, I know.” Suhø answered emotionlessly, still staring at Minseok and not looking at her original. “You and I share the same memories, you know.” She said over her shoulder with a raised brow.

“That’s the reason why you were put in this laboratory in the first place.” Xiůmin crossed his arms over his chest. “Eight years ago, we were made but we didn’t have any abilities or memories. It was like we were hollow shells. You lot disappeared months after you escaped the maze so _they_ couldn’t continue the project; it was put on halt for the time being as they perfected the shells, AKA our bodies. As they did that, _they_ were looking for the other half of the Tree, but until now, they still don’t know where it is.”

“Then four years later, poof! And _they_ found you!” Suhø happily clapped again, the corners of her mouth curving up before her face darkened dramatically. “But then that pesky NEO City Godfather had to step in and ruin everything.” She said lowly, voice contrasting greatly with her cheery tone just seconds ago. Minseok flinched when she spoke again.

“They should’ve known there was something going on with that organization. They even prevented us from getting our hands on the Tree.”

“I hate that guy.” Xiůmin hissed, his arms crossing over his chest. “He and his whole family, I hate them. NEO City should’ve stuck with their previous ways of controlling people. Killing and manipulating everything and everyone fits their style, not doing things like what they’re doing right now. Got to hand it to them, though. They deserve some credit. But I still hate them.”

“You hate everyone.” Suhø said with a raised brow.

“Yeah, I hate you too.” Xiůmin answered, looking lazily at the other clone.

“Aww, Xiů, I hate you too!”

“See what I mean about hating you?”

“Please shut up!” Minseok found himself shouting over the two clone’s bickering. Suhø just smirked at him before she opened her mouth.

“Looks like someone’s getting overwhelmed” she said, looking smugly at Minseok. “Which is saying something because according to Sehun, you never get overwhelmed,”

“Sehun?” Minseok asked looking at the two clones in front of him.

“Yes, Sehun.” Xiůmin nodded. “He did a good job reporting to us.”

“Our Sehun?!” Junmeyon gasped, backing up in her glass cage. “Sehun…. Sehun wouldn’t…. Sehun wouldn’t do that!”

“More like: he _can’t._ ” Xiůmin said stepping towards Junmyeon. “Because he was here, with us, this whole time.”

“What?!” Minseok screeched, banging his hand on the glass.

Suhø chuckled before she smirked widely. “Oh Sehun was the first to be captured among the nine remaining guardians. His capture was the easiest because he got tricked by the fake eclipse that _they_ created with an illusion. The kid who he was with unconsciously helped with the act, too. He was captured two weeks prior to your own. Poor thing got tricked so easily, I almost feel bad for him.” Minseok growled at Suhø’s statement. “His clone was the first one to be released to the outside world because he was the first to be filled with memories and the first to be given an ability. The Sehun you were with for the past four – five months wasn’t your precious maknae.”

“It was his clone. And, I might say, he did a good job deceiving you all. He even acted to himself to make things more believable.” Xiůmin added. “And he has been feeding us information everyday ever since he was sent out. The original Sehun was with us the entire time.”

“I can’t believe this.” Junmyeon whined inside her cage. “I can’t believe this.” She repeated over and over again like a broken record.

“He was giving you notes and clues, you know.” Suhø suddenly said as she looked at Minseok. “He was trying to say that Zitao is dead because he _knows_ that he’s dead.”

“You’re lying!” Minseok yelled.

“Oh are we?” Suhø taunted. “Out of the eight clones present inside this facility, Sehůn is the best at knowing whether Zitao is really dead or not.”

“He was the one who killed him, after all.”

Junmyeon began tearing up after a sharp intake of breath. Minseok didn’t need the link to prove that her heart just broke. He heard her cry a lot of times before – more times than Junmyeon knows because she tends to hide from him when she cried but Minseok always founds out without telling Junmyeon – but the way she cried now, it was a first for Minseok. She didn’t cry like this before; not even when they found out about Yifan’s death or even when they witnessed Lu Han’s.

“Before Sehun, Zitao was here. He put up a fight against _them_ and he almost succeeded in sabotaging the whole experiment. _They_ couldn’t transfer his abilities and memories to his shell, for some unknown reason, and Zitao eventually destroyed his own clone’s body even before they had the chance to study why they couldn’t make the transfer. Sehun’s clone, even without memories and an ability, was awoken and he got him to calm down because Zitao thought that he was the real Sehun. Well, he always did have a naïve mind, that Zitao. It’s the same for his counterpart. Both of them were perfect together. It’s kind of sad that he tried his best while trying to protect Sehun’s clone from those creepy nurses.” Suhø explained.

“In the end, it was his counterpart that stabbed him in the back. Quite literally, I might add. At the same time, the original Sehun fainted and was captured. Be thankful that he didn’t experience the pain of having the link between counterparts being severed.”

“What have you done to Sehun now?” Junmyeon asked, fear coating her shaky voice. The tears that escaped from her eyes didn’t stop coming. “You got what you want from him; You took away his partner, you got his memories, you got his ability. What did you do to him?!”

“What do you want us to say?” Suhø asked, shrugging her shoulders. “Do you want us to say that we killed him?”

“WHAT?!” Junmyeon screeched, voice higher by an octave. She started banging her fists on her glass cage. Soon, Minseok joined too, tears lining his cheeks as he did.

“Relax.” Xiůmin said, voice calm despite the intensity of the noise Minseok and Junmyeon were making. “He’s not dead. It’s true that we don’t have much use for him but _they_ wanted to keep him alive for the study, even though the experiment is pretty much over and we have our memories and our abilities and you don’t. Honestly, I don’t see his value of you anymore. I’ve questioned why they’re keeping all of you alive.”

"You son of a bitch!” Minseok shouted, aware that he was screaming at _himself._ He really doesn’t care anymore. He was provoked at maximum. He was already fed up.

“You know we are the same person, right?” Xiůmin smirked, amused at what Minseok shouted.

“I will kill you.” Minseok threatened, not giving in to his clone’s words. There was nothing holding him back anymore. He knew that Junmyeon was ready to get her hands around her own clone’s throat when she was given the chance. Even if she looked like she already gave up on everything.

“Okay!!” Suhø suddenly chirped, clapping her hands together once again and making a sharp sound that echoed throughout the whole room. “No that that’s out of the way, time to do what we came here to do.” She went towards Junmyeon’s cage. Xiůmin was also in front of Minseok in a second.

“Time for us to play.” Xiůmin smirked, tapping on the glass cage.

The cage suddenly became cold, colder than Minseok could actually handle even when he had his abilities. The glass became frosted in seconds, preventing Minseok to look at what was happening outside. The sound of water flowing made him cautious, the sound of gargling made him panic.

“Myeon?!” he yelled, calling for his partner. The gargling sounds became louder and it made Minseok panic even more. “Junmyeon?!” he yelled again, pressing his palms against the frosted glass. He flinched away immediately when the ice stung his skin. The sound of a metal door opening and closing shut echoed throughout the room. The pained sounds of suffering still lingered in the air.

“JUNMYEON?!”

A pained cry that sounded like the person was underwater was his answer.

Panicking, Minseok looked around, realizing that the glass was already frozen all around. His breaths slowly became labored as puffs of white smoke came out from his mouth every time he breathed. He was surprised he was still alive and thinking. He needed to get out of there, or else, the _Red Force_ will win and their clones will spread havoc around the world trying to search for the other half of the Tree. Minseok wasn’t going to let that happen.

But first, he needed to get out and save his counterpart.

Using all the strength he has left, he pressed his palms against the frosted glass pane – ignoring the fact that it was burning his skin – and pushed, using the glass on his back to create more force. Eventually, he lifted his feet and pushed together with his hands. The satisfying sound of glass and ice breaking echoed around Minseok as he let out a strangled scream, giving his all at breaking the frosted glass. Seconds later, the glass broke and Minseok immediately curled on himself on the floor of the glass cage while using his arms to cover his head, ignoring the painful stabs of ice and glass against his skin. The glass continued falling against him for a few seconds more before Minseok out finally breath properly, finally outside of his cage. He stood slowly, taking in the surrounding.

“Jun…?” he groaned, looking around after dusting the glass away from his body. When he turned around, he immediately regretted it.

“Junmyeon!” he yelled in surprise when he saw his counterpart drowning inside her own glass cage, the tight space filled to the brim with water. She was still conscious but Minseok could see that she was having a hard time keeping herself awake. Junmyeon might’ve had the power to manipulate water but underwater, she’s like everybody else; she can’t breathe underwater but she can hold her breath for more than the time a professional athlete can. By the look she was giving him, Minseok knew she was almost at her limit.

“I’ll get you out of there!” Minseok yelled, mostly to himself. He looked around, trying to find anything that could break the glass.

Noticing that Junmyeon’s cage was elevated, Minseok immediately went behind his partner’s glass cage and began pushing it down to make in crash on the ground and break. It wasn’t the ideal solution to the problem but Minseok was out of options and Junmyeon was about to drown.

When his counterpart let out a large breath, creating large air bubbles underwater, Minseok pushed harder.

“I’m sorry for this!” He yelled as he gave one last push and the glass cage came down with an almighty crash, smashing into millions of pieces, as the water inside spilled on to the concrete ground.

Minseok immediately dove to rescue his counterpart. He pulled her out from the sea of glass and water, being careful not to hurt her but also being mindful that she was barely breathing. She pulled her up in his arms with ease, having already done it almost a thousand times before, and jogged towards the corner of the room, where the blinking lights were. He gently kneeled down on the ground.

“Look at me.” he whispered at his counterpart as he cradled her in his arms, not minding that everything was wet at the moment. “Come on, open your yes.”

At least Junmyeon was breathing, but it was terrifyingly labored. She coughed a couple of times as she expelled water out from her lungs. Minseok watched as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

“…. Min….” she whispered, voice barely audible.

“I’m here, Myeon.” Minsoek brushed wet strands of Junmyeon’s hair away from her eyes. “I’m here.”

“Min…… don’t…. leave…. pl – please….”

“I won’t.” Minsoek placed a light kiss on top of Junmyeon’s forehead as the younger gripped on his shirt with the last bit of strength she had left. “I’m not going anywhere.” He hushed, connecting their foreheads together.

“I’m not going anywhere. We’ll both get out of here.” He said. “I’ll protect you, I promise.”

The sounds of sirens blasted in a distance and the room turned red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love these two - four...?
> 
> NEXT UP: There was something she saw in the past. She remembers it vividly to this day. She didn't expect to see her do the exact opposite of what she expected.


	28. KYUNGSOO

Kyungsoo can’t say that she was shocked to see _herself_ staring at _herself_ when she woke up.

After all, she already saw it all before.

“You don’t seem surprised to see me.” _the woman_ said. Kyungsoo’s face remain indifferent as she stared at the person in front of her. _She_ stared back with the same expression. _She_ wore the same clothes as Kyungsoo and the only difference between them was that instead of a “12” printed on _her_ collar– Kyungsoo saw her reflection on the mirror – _hers_ was “X-12”. It only makes her theory true.

“Oh, I am.” Kyungsoo replied, looking around at the small room. “I just don’t seem like it.” she said while eying the machines that littered around the two of them.

“No, you’re not” X-12 said.

“Wow, good for you. Do you want a cookie?” Kyungsoo taunted, but her face remaining indifferent.

“You lack emotion.” X-12 said as she shook her head. “That’s the only thing we have in common.” _She_ continued. “You know, aside from the fact that we are the same person so we have the same face, memories, and such.”

“I agree. Aside from those, we have absolutely _nothing_ in common.” Kyungsoo emphasized, raising a brow.

“Well, I guess what you saw eight years ago became true, huh?”

“Yeah.”

There was silence.

“That box.”

Kyungsoo raised a brow at X-12’s statement.

“Where is it?” X-12 asked. “That box. The one you found in the maze eight years ago. The box, where is it?”

“Shouldn’t you know where it is since we share the same memories?” Kyungsoo asked. Was she wrong?

“We do.” X-12 replied. “But I don’t know where it is. The only possible explanation to this are: either both of us don’t have the any memories about the box’s location or your memory of such a powerful object is encrypted. Personally, I think it’s the latter. We both know it’s possible, especially with the kinds of people you hang out with.”

But…. Kyungsoo remembers where she hid it…. She remembers _everything._

If she and her clone share the same memories, if all her memories from childhood up to their recent capture were taken, then shouldn’t her clone remember where it’s placed as well?

Kyungsoo decides to role with it.

She wasn’t letting _them_ take that box.

Not when she knows what’s inside it.

“Come to think of it…. I don’t know….” Kyungsoo said with a bit of hesitance to make her acting a bit more believable. The look on the person’s face in front of her told Kyungsoo that she didn’t believe her one bit.

“Your lying.” X-12 said, face remaining indifferent.

“No, I’m not.” Kyungsoo countered. “You and I share the same memories so if you don’t remember, then I, the original, don’t remember as well.”

“You do realize that I know everything about you, right?” X-12 asked, brow raising. “I know what you’ve been through, who you met, what you’ve been doing, what you’ve been hiding.”

“I am aware, yes.” Kyungsoo replied, unfazed by X12’s taunting. “We are the same person, after all.”

“What did you feel?” X-12 asked all of a sudden.

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo raised a brow, tugging lightly on the metal cuffs that bounded her to the bed.

“I’m curious.” Her clone said. “We may have the same memories but the feelings and sensations we feel are different. I’m curious about how you felt when you saw what’s inside that box.”

Kyungsoo stayed silent, not knowing what and how to answer.

“Don’t worry, the people here are all out because of a certain…. event that has happened. That guy disabled all the cameras before he went out.”

“Well, that was a stupid move.”

“He’s stupid, so yeah. Don’t tell the others about it. They don’t know that everything’s disabled.”

Kyungsoo stayed silent once more before she finally spoke.

“To be honest, I was scared when I saw what’s inside.” She said even before she could stop herself. Their conversation was so casual that Kyungsoo wanted to punch herself.

“You saw what will happen even before it happened.” X-12 said, tone getting lighter as if she’s letting her guard down.

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo nodded, thinking back to when she found that box.

Six years ago – no, _eight_ years ago, when Kyungsoo and the others were stuck inside the maze – when Lu Han and Zitao and Yifan were still with them – Kyungsoo found something that she didn’t think she’ll find inside a maze that has absolutely nothing except for a million walls, sand, and sounds of pain and suffering. During their (agonizing) stay there, Kyungsoo learned about the maze that they were kept in. There were different parts, different sections, for each member.

Kyungsoo was one of the five out of twelve that stayed in one section of the maze – the others were constantly moved around. It was the only part of the whole facility that the men in white never visited. Kyungsoo was one of the fortunate ones to be placed there.

She never went out of that section – she couldn’t even leave if she wanted to. Even when they put the twelve of them to sleep and when they wake up inside the maze again, Kyungsoo knew she was still in the same section. She mapped out the entire section inside her mind. Being able to control earth has its perks in situations like those. Kyungsoo was aware that she shouldn’t be using her ability but it wasn’t like she was using it to blast the wall open or anything. Plus, she saw what will happen if she uses her ability that much; she saw Chanyeol – another one of the five that stayed in one section – walking around with bloodstains on his shirt and on his skin, Kyungsoo knew it was because he used his ability too much. The Phoenix that blasted the wall only minutes before she saw him was a dead giveaway.

Needless to say, Kyungsoo tended to Chanyeol for a few hours before men in white took him away. Kyungsoo had a sore throat from three days.

Another day had passed – Kyungsoo has been counting the hours that passed by – when Kyungsoo discovered a small black box on the sand covered ground when she turned to a corner. Kyungsoo was suspicious about the said box since she passed by the same path almost every day and it was the first time she had seen it. It was small, just the size of Kyungsoo’s hand, and it was heavy; Kyungsoo picked it up when she kneeled on the ground, not minding the sand that was dirtying her pants. There was a note pasted on top of the box.

 _“The cameras are disabled. Open the box.”_ The paper said, the letters written elegantly by hand.

Suspicious, but at the same time curious, Kyungsoo slowly lifted the cover of the box, peering inside. Kyungsoo’s brows furrowed at the content. It was filled with nothing but sand.

But she saw something else.

She dropped the box in fear when she saw flashes of hands and arms that clouded her vision.

“What the-!” Kyungsoo almost swore, pushing herself back and away from the box with her hands and feet. The black box remained open on the ground, and it was on its side, the sand from inside spilled and blended with the sand on the floor.

Kyungsoo was sweating and breathing hard, her heart was pumping so fast that her chest hurts. Jongdae was probably feeling Kyungsoo’s sudden jump in heartrate and was probably running around the maze like a headless chicken trying to find her, but Kyungsoo couldn’t think about anything else except for what she saw.

The hands that appeared in Kyungsoo’s head looked like they were trying to grab her. It seemed real and for the first time in Kyungsoo’s life, not counting the time that they were captured, she felt scared and hopeless.

She was _terrified._

Kyungsoo was about to turn and run but then, something glowing on the ground caught her eye. Slowly, she turned towards the box again, raising a brow at the sparkling object that was coming from the inside of the box. She saw that more than half of the object was covered with sand. Kyungsoo slowly crawled towards the box and she pulled it towards her. She turned it upside-down, causing all the sand to pour out, including the sparkling object.

It was a cube; a _crystal_ cube.

Kyungsoo frowned at the sight of it, not understanding what it was. She stared at the cube for minutes. It glowed white, green, yellow and red. Sometimes, the colors came randomly, sometimes, they were in sequence, sometimes the cube flashed all colors at once. It was just the size of Kyungsoo’s small hand; it was a lot smaller than the black box that held it. Kyungsoo reached out to touch it.

The hands and arms flashed back, disrupting Kyungsoo’s vision.

She yelped, falling back for the second time that day. The crystal cube and the box was still there, sitting idle in front of her. Kyungsoo’s whole being was shaken, much like how she reacted before. She didn’t realize that she was already crying until she felt cool liquid run down her neck.

_“Don’t fight it, Kyungsoo.”_

Kyungsoo yelped for the third time that day when she heard a voice talk to her in her head. She didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t Lu Han’ voice. It wasn’t Jongdae’s, either. It wasn’t any of the eleven that were trapped in the maze with her.

_“It’ll show you what you need to know. Don’t fight against it.”_

Without knowing who the voice belongs to or without knowing why, Kyungsoo crawled back towards the crystal cube and stared at it, as if it was alive and would eat Kyungsoo at any moment. She knew that she shouldn’t trust the voice but for some reason, she did.

“I’m going to regret this.” Kyungsoo said to herself as she looked at her hand.

“Here goes nothing.” she breathed and reached out, taking the cube into her hand.

That was when it all began.

The reason why Kyungsoo knew things and events before it happened, the reason why she refused to separate six years ago, the reason why she knew they were going to be captured again, was because, as cliché as it sounds, Kyungsoo saw the future.

She hadn’t believed it before but when she saw visions of someone screaming and walking out of the house, leaving tension in the air and fearful expressions plastered on various faces – only for it to come true a week later with Kyungsoo being the one who screamed and walked out and left the nine remaining guardians terrified and shocked all at the same time, Kyungsoo knew that those visions weren’t just coincidences.

She would’ve talked to Lu Han about it because out of everyone she knows, he’s her best shot of knowing what those visions were all about.

Except, she couldn’t talk to Lu Han.

He was gone before Kyungsoo had the chance.

The visions came and go like a movie inside Kyungsoo’s head. Sometimes they come abruptly, causing Kyungsoo’s head to hurt at the information that was coursing through her head. Sometimes, they come slow, like Kyungsoo was having dreams that she casually watched as time passes by.

The last Dream-like vision she saw was when she was still back in Colorado, three years before they were captured. It was a vision of the others; where they were, what they were doing, who they were with. That was when Kyungsoo wrote a letter to all of them, wishing them to be safe and for some reason, stating that they will meet again soon. She didn’t know why she wrote that but she did. The visions are the reason how she knew the locations of the others, even when they told each other that no one will ever reveal their locations.

The last abrupt vision Kyungsoo saw, she had it days before they were captured. She had been eating toast while talking to Johnny on the phone when it happened. She abruptly fell to her knees, the toast and phone in her hands falling to the ground, the screen of her phone cracking on impact. She couldn’t hear Johnny’s worried calls that turned frantic when Kyungsoo screamed, clutching her head at the pain as the images flashed in her mind. She cried out loud, tears clouding her vision as she curled on the ground, not hearing Johnny’s commands to someone on the other side of the line.

Kyungsoo saw _everything._ How Jongin was captured in that rooftop, how Jongdae’s face had looked when he saw the eclipse, how Junmyeon fell into that pool, how Chanyeol stood idly on ruins over a river, how Baekhyun ran through the narrow alleyways around the cathedral, how Yixing ran away with tears in his eyes, how Sehun escaped from inside a house. Kyungsoo saw bits of how they were all captured. It didn’t take a genius to piece everything together.

Having been, fortunately, in Colorado for a business trip when Johnny had called them, saying that something was wrong with Kyungsoo, Doyoung, Taeil and Kun barged into Kyungsoo’s apartment twenty minutes later and found her curled up in the corner of the room. They tended to her unconscious form for two days before they had to go back to Chicago.

Kyungsoo didn’t have time to warn everybody.

She was captured the next day.

“Subject number X-12, DØ.”

Kyungsoo and X-12 looked up at the speaker that was placed on the corner of the room. Next to it, was a camera. Looks like the people who captured them were back.

“It’s time for you to replace Subject number 12.”

The door below the cameras opened, revealing numerous nurses in white. Kyungsoo saw this situation before; right before they were captured, before she and Jongdae passed out, she had another vision. It wasn’t a Dream-like vision or an abrupt vision. It was one of those rare ones she gets when she was in extreme pain – why she gets it at those times, she doesn’t know.

Kyungsoo saw herself being wheeled out of a white room and into a cemented one when she was unconscious. There was another person with her but she’s sure that it wasn’t Junmeyon because Kyungsoo saw that it was a guy. She tried to put up a fight in order to at least be awake when they throw her inside that room but the nurses subjected her to that blue drug that she hated. As she struggled, X-12 stayed still, her face remained indifferent as she stared at Kyungsoo with hollow eyes. Kyungsoo was wheeled out right after that.

When she woke up, her vision came true; as usual.

Except, she didn’t know that it was Chanyeol who was with her.

_“Kyungsoo, I’ll make a way for you to pass through them. When it’s clear, run towards the door and escape okay?”_

_“Don’t worry, I’ll follow after you. Just keep running and try to find the others.”_

_“Go!”_

“You are an idiot, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo hissed under her breath as she ran, avoiding all the nurses that tried to corner her.

She didn’t know where she was going. A few minutes has passed and Kyungsoo still wasn’t caught – which is weird, considering the situation. It felt like she was running around in circles; like she was trapped inside another maze. She turned, and turned, and turned, until she recognized that she has been in that same corridor before – when she was wheeled out of a room, slightly drowsy but still conscious. She saw the unforgettable structure that lay in the corner of the hallway; a flowerpot filled with red roses. It was so out of place that Kyungsoo remembered it easily, even when she was on the verge of sleep.

Now, in front of her was the very same pot of red roses. It meant that the room she was previously in, before she woke up beside Chanyeol, was near.

It meant that _she_ was near.

_Kyungsoo’s clone, D_ _Ø._

Turning, Kyungsoo searched for the room, until she saw a white door that was blended with the wall. I she didn’t place her hand on the wall, she would’ve never noticed it. There was a small, as small as her palm, window on the upper right side of the door. Kyungsoo had to step on her toes to see what was inside – another reason why she didn’t see the door was because she was too short. There were machines and monitors of the other side. It looked like nobody was there, at the moment. There was a small table in front of a large pane of glass. She couldn’t see much of what was on the other side.

Kyungsoo slowly pushed the door open since there weren’t any knobs. To her surprise, it opened easily. Confirming her assumption earlier, there wasn’t anybody inside. She quietly closed the door behind her and she walked towards the small table in front of the glass.

On the other side of the room, Kyungsoo saw five people, and judging from the looks on their faces, they don’t see her.

Sehun, who looks like he wants to die.

Jongin, who looks like he’s at the boarder of insanity.

Chanyeol, who looks pissed and beaten, his face was covered with shallow wounds.

Yixing, who’s eying Chanyeol like a hawk.

And herself – DØ – who was directly in front of the glass, her back turned against Kyungsoo.

“Fuck.” Kyungsoo cursed for the first time in forever. The second she saw them, she planned on breaking everything so that they could escape, but by doing so, she’s letting DØ escape too.

Kyungsoo didn’t have a choice.

So, she picked the chair right beside her and smashed the glass to bits – she was sure DØ sustained some injuries because of her but she didn’t even squeak.

The room suddenly turned red and sirens started to wail around the compound.

“What the fuck?!” she heard Chanyeol curse loudly.

Without thinking, Kyungsoo dropped the chair and yanked DO’s hair back, holding her in place with the remaining shards of glass from the mirror dangerously close to the back of her clone’s neck.

“Kyungsoo?!” Yixing stood on alert, but he stayed in place because of the cuff around his left wrist.

“I’m the real Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo said firmly before DØ could say anything. Surprisingly, DØ stayed quiet, not even putting up a fight, not even when Kyungsoo roughly pulled her hair back.

“But her collar says ’12’” Chanyeol said, pointing at his own collar. “Isn’t there supposed to be an ‘X’ if they’re our doubles? I should know, I’ve met mine.” Jongin looked at them on the border of confused and scared. Sehun looked like he was done with everything.

“I replaced her.”

Kyungsoo looked at DØ with wide eyes.

Shouldn’t she fight _against_ Kyungsoo? Not _help_ her in proving that she’s real?

“Right before she was placed with Park Chanyeol, they changed my clothes. I was supposed to have ‘X-12’ on my collar.” DØ said with hollow eyes. Kyungsoo’s grip on her hair loosed a bit.

“The cameras are disabled. I snuck out when they gave me time to change. I destroyed the control room, so all the cameras are disabled.” DØ gestured to the camera above the door in the corner of the room.

“I took this when they gave me new clothes. I suggest you take this chance to escape. It won’t be long before than son of a bitch goes inside the control room.” She threw a key ring at Yixing, who caught it easily with his unbound hand. Kyungsoo released her grip on DØ’s hair.

Yixing picked out the key that will release him from his cuff and proceeded to release the others except for DØ because she said to leave her. All four of them climbed to the other side of the room, to where Kyungsoo was standing, a few minutes later.

“Soo?” Chanyeol called, his hand on the knob as they were about to dash outside.

“Go.” Was the only thing Kyungsoo said before Yixing pushed them all out, closing the door behind them, leaving Kyungsoo alone with DØ.

“Would you believe me if I said that I don’t want to be a part of this scheme?” DØ suddenly asked when they were finally left alone.

“Considering the stunt you just pulled, I would say yes.” Kyungsoo said jumping to the other side to face her clone.

“Do you really?” DØ asked, looking up at Kyungsoo. She looked like she genuinely didn’t want to be there. Kyungsoo thought she was putting up an act, to keep Kyungsoo occupied before she lashes out on her. She refuses to believe that a _clone_ would have emotions at all.

“I do.” Kyungsoo said, playing her clone’s game and entertaining DØ to buy time for the others. She knows that she isn’t the only one who was cloned but by keeping DØ here, there was one less clone to be released out there.

“No you don’t.” DØ said, her gaze floating down towards the tiled floors. Kyungsoo’s brows furrowed. DØ looked genuinely…... tired.

“You didn’t see this coming, did you?” DØ suddenly looked up at Kyungsoo.

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo asked, raising a brow.

“Given that I am a successful cloning of your entire being, you’re probably wondering why I look like shit, not obeying the bids of my creator at all.” Her clone said. “I’m supposed to replace you, as you may already know, and cause havoc around the world. I’m supposed to be the one to cause the more devastating destruction with my – your – ability. I was supposed to fight against you.”

“But you didn’t.” Kyungsoo said, stepping towards her clone. “You helped us. Why?” DØ looked up at Kyungsoo and flashed a small, genuine smile.

“We have something else that we don’t have in common, Kyungsoo.”

“And that is?”

“You have someone you have to protect with your life; I don’t. Without him, I just don’t see the point of everything at all.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened as she stepped back, hearing glass crunch under her feet. DØ only smiled at her longer.

“Go.” Her clone said and Kyungsoo turned. She quickly hopped back to the other room, passing by a passive DØ staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Kyungsoo suddenly felt guilty for leaving DØ there alone.

“Oh, and Kyungsoo?”

“Hmm?” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but stop and look over her shoulder. DØ was looking at her with that smile again.

“Take care of him, okay?”

Kyungsoo nodded and dashed out of the room, leaving DØ and began running through the hallway. The sirens deafening to her ears and the red lights blinding.

“Subject number X-12 has been labeled a traitor. Result to extreme measures.”

Stopping, Kyungsoo seethed at the speaker on the ceiling, glaring at the real monsters of this fight.

The sounds of her own voice echoed loudly inside the whole compound.

Kyungsoo wasn’t the one screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yey!!! Time to escape!!
> 
> NEXT UP: For the others, they've been stuck inside the laboratory for one year and eight months. For him, he's been there for Two years and one month. The others didn't know. Until now.


	29. SEHUN

Sehun has been trapped inside the facility for two years and a month. For the others, they’ve been there for a year and eight months. Sehun couldn’t believe they got tricked into believing that the Sehun that was with them was him.

Well, who would blame them, anyways? Even he was convinced when he saw his clone.

After being knocked out in the forest in Edinburgh, Sehun woke up wearing pure white clothes and he was strapped to the bed he was lying in with metal cuffs. The first thing he thought of was if the boys inside the house he visited were captured as well. The second thought in his head was that if the others were inside the facility with him.

It took three days for him to realize that he was alone.

He wasn’t scared at that time; he was _panicked._

Nurses with red visors over their eyes came in from time to time to check up on Sehun. The cheerful voice from the speaker above the door in the corner conversed with him often – the voice was doing all the talking and Sehun was only listening and not answering. He hated that voice. It was so happy but Sehun wasn’t feeling the emotion at all.

For the first two weeks, they did nothing to Sehun; they just regularly checked up on him.

After the third week, the frequent blood tests, poking needles and torture began.

He was always put inside a small and tight room, cuffed on the wall, left to hang there for god knows how long. They did nothing to him when he’s there. He was just alone. No nurses to check up on him. No voice that talks to him. No nothing.

He was always alone.

He would stay there for hours, maybe days, without food or water, before they had to pull him out to put him back inside that white room again. Sehun’s surprised he even survived without food and water for so long. He figured the clear liquid that they were forcing down his bloodstream every time they put him back inside the small white room has something to do with that.

Then, the blue liquid came in and practically drowned him. He slept for most of the time after that.

He always had a dream when he slept. It was the same colorful building in the outskirts of the city. He was always surrounded by palm trees, green plants, colorful flowers and the atmosphere around him always felt light. The dream always felt real; there were times that Sehun thought they _were_ real but there always came a time that he came to his senses and realized that everything was a dream.

The reason was because he was always alone.

He kept searching for companions as he walked endlessly. He didn’t know who he was searching for but he knew that he should search for them. He would wander far away from the colorful building and he always passes out. When he wakes up, he’s inside the exact same building he left. HE does the same thing every time he wakes up back inside the colorful building. But every time he did, he was alone. Sehun felt so lonely inside his own dream.

Then, one day, everyone else showed up and he was finally happy.

But he knew it wasn’t real so he forced himself awake.

When he woke up, back inside the small white room, he was crying, open for the cameras to see.

Days after that, he woke up again.

In front of Yixing.

He was so happy to see someone else again, someone _real,_ again. He wanted them to talk. He wanted them to both share their anger to each other, but the situation didn’t permit them to. Sehun was tortured in front of Yixing. _They_ did that because they wanted to see Yixing use his powers. Sehun told him not to give in, but the older did, anyway.

Sehun slept and woke for the nth time since he was put inside the laboratory.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to lay back inside his apartment. He wanted to go back to his life. He wanted to see everyone again. He wanted to see Junmyeon, to see Kyungsoo, to see Minseok, to see Jongdae, to see Chanyeol, to see Yixing again, to see Baekhyun, to see Jongin.

To see Zitao.

When they told him about Zitao being six feet under the ground, Sehun brawled his eyes out. He almost tore off his hands from pulling on his cuffs just to launch at the nurses around the room. He has various scars on both of his wrists to prove what he did. Sehun knows it won’t go away anytime soon – even with Yixing’s ability.

Ever since that day one, when he first woke up, Sehun’s face turned expressionless and his whole body turned numb. He never smiles anymore. How could he? He doesn’t have anyone to give his smiles to. He got irritated often, too, especially when-,

“What are thinking about?”

Especially when _he,_ that idiotic, good-for-nothing, _asshole_ entered the picture, five months later, right before he was subjected to that blue liquid.

Sehun glowered at the man sitting in front of him. As said before, even he wouldn’t notice the difference between them. The only thing that was different in the man in front of him were the scars on Sehun’s wrists and the print on _the man’s_ collar was different from his.

 _His_ was an “X-94”.

“Whoop, you got angry.” X-94 smirked, walking towards Sehun. The heels of his shoes clicked on the tiled floors, the sound echoing around the white room. Despite having many beds in the room, Sehun was the only one there, lying on the bed in the corner. X-94 was standing on the other end of the room, next to the closed door, when he spoke. Seconds later, he was right in front of Sehun.

“Will you please shut up?” Sehun spat, glaring at his clone. He has already taken everything that belonged to Sehun. His ability, his memories, his partner, his life. What more could he want? Why couldn’t he just get rid of him and get it over with?

“Ooh, feisty.” X-94 grinned, his eyes crinkling. In another situation, others might’ve thought that it was adorable but now, Sehun thinks he might need to stop smirking. He couldn’t believe he was saying it, but he dislikes his face already. “How’s the bed? Is it warm enough?” his clone taunted.

“I don’t think I talk this much.” Sehun grumbled, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. His other hand was bound to the bed with cuffs, as they always do ever since he was placed inside the facility.

“That’s just it.” His clone said, lifting a finger. He shifted the said finger in between the two of them. “You and I are not the same person, so, you really shouldn’t compare yourself to me. And besides, we both know I’m the better one.”

“Then shut up!” Sehun growled. “You talking with my voice is making me compare the two of us so please, please, _please_ shut up!” he begged, his head already aching badly.

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d have in you to get angry.” X-94 raised a brow at Sehun as he mocked him. “But, then again, ever since you woke up, you’re always angry. Kind of like Kyungsoo-noona. Though, she’s always angry even on a regular day.”

Sehun gave a low growl from the back of his throat as he leaned back on his bed. “Please kill me.” he whispered, closing his eyes shut.

“With pleasure.” He heard X-94 smirk into his sentence. The sounds of heels clicking on the tiles was heard again and if Sehun would be honest with himself, he _hoped_ X-94 would kill him. He was tired.

“No, don’t kill him.”

Sehun’s eyes shot up at the voice coming from the speaker on the ceiling. It was a different voice from the voice he was hearing for the time he was conscious. That voice was light, high-pitched and cheerful. This one, though, was low, serious and emotionless.

“Oh, hey, hyung!” X-94 stopped walking to look at the camera on the corner of the room, smiling widely as he waved.

“Hello, X-94.” The emotionless voice greeted back. Sehun rolled his eyes at his clone’s childish antics. He _is not_ that childish!

“Anyway, hyung, where’s the other hyung?” X-94 asked, raising his brows for some goddamn reason.

“He’s out with Min.” the voice simply said. “Don’t kill him, X-94.”

“I know, I know.” X-94 said, waving his hand in the air. “But I can knock him out cold, right?”

“Yes, but-,”

Sehun didn’t hear what the voice said since X-94 literally punched him in the head and he passed out, not feeling the pain at all.

When Sehun came to, he was lying on his back, facing the brightly lit, white ceiling. When he turned his head, he saw Jongin looking worriedly at him. The others must’ve been wheeled in when that goddamn _motherfucker_ punched him.

There was silence when Sehun woke. He was aware that all of them were looking at him.

“How were you doing for the past six years?” was the first thing that came out of Sehun’s mouth when he made eye contact with his best friend.

“I’m sorry.” Was the first thing Jongin said right after that. “We really didn’t know, Sehun. They just told us right now. I’m really sorry.” Was the next.

“It’s fine.” Sehun said, a bit snappier than he intended. He knows that he shouldn’t be mad at them but couldn’t help it. They spent five months with a _fake Sehun_ and they didn’t even notice it. Sehun was very much free to say that he was disappointed in all of them. Even in Junmyeon, who he thought was his last hope because there was no way she could be fooled by a _fake Sehun._ Well, Sehun guesses X-94’s acting skills were just that good.

“Sehun.” Yixing’s soothing voice came to Sehun’s ears. It’s been a long time since he last heard their healer’s voice. Actually, it wasn’t since he heard him talk when the older healed him but during that time, Sehun was pretty much out of it because of being tortured so he didn’t understand anything the older male said.

“Hyung.” Sehun answered in a whisper, not moving from his spot.

“I’m sorry about Zitao.”

That struck a nerve but Sehun kept his cool. It didn’t stop him from pulling harshly on the cuff binding his wrist to the bed.

“Don’t.” He hissed through his teeth. Everything was bad enough as it is and Sehun didn’t want another reminder that his partner is gone. X-94 might’ve enjoyed the fact that he was suffering under the gazes of his hyungs – and noona; Kyungsoo was also there, Sehun noticed, as quiet as she always was – and that they were trying to pity him while they, themselves, were hurting.

“Don’t… I don’t want to talk about it.” he said with a sigh. The door on the corner of the room suddenly banged open.

“Let me go!” Chanyeol screamed as he struggled in the hands of four nurses. It didn’t take a genius to realize that those nurses weren’t normal – Sehun should know, he spent five months with those creepy nurses – especially when they could drag, carry and restrain a fully grown giant on to the bed. Chanyeol struggled for a bit more before he gave up. The nurses left shortly after that.

“What happened to you?” Sehun couldn’t help but ask, his tone was slightly annoyed – he hoped the others didn’t notice it. By the look on Kyungsoo’s face, Sehun thinks she did, though.

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol spat, glaring at Kyungsoo. Sehun knows he didn’t mean it. Chanyeol always did have a heavy temper.

“Well, the reason is obvious, right?” Kyungsoo raised a brow at their giant. “Unless you knocked your head on something that made you unable to simple process things.”

Sehun watched as Chanyeol shifted his gaze from the girl but his expression faded immediately. He stared blankly on the floor, his hand pulling on his cuff every once in a while with a blank expression on his face. Sehun raised a brow. Even after four – no, six – years, Sehun knows that Chanyeol never looks blank.

All of a sudden, the mirror behind Kyungsoo shattered into millions of pieces. Sehun’s sure that shards dug at the back of Kyungsoo’s head and neck, but she didn’t give any indication that she was hurt or that she was bothered by the incident _at all._ Sehun couldn’t help but glare at his noona. She seemed off from the time he laid his eyes on her only minutes before.

He was right, as always.

Another Kyungsoo was standing on the other room adjacent to where Sehun was in. She was holding a chair when Sehun saw her. A second later, Kyungsoo – the one standing and the one that probably broke the mirror – was holding the other Kyungsoo – who didn’t give a single flying fuck – by her hair. Sehun instantly knew who the real Kyungsoo was.

“I’m the real Kyungsoo.” The one standing said and it only confirmed Sehun’s assumption. That was something he could actually brag to his clone about because apparently, X-94 doesn’t really recognize who is real and who is the clone – the voice, the cheerful one, once said that X-94 was lucky enough to recognize his own original. Sehun snorted at that one. It seemed that the clones weren’t so perfect after all. Though, Sehun’s not sure if that flaw was corrected in his clone or not.

After getting released from their cuffs, Sehun, Chanyeol, Jongin and Yixing rushed to the other room. They bolted out of the door when Kyungsoo told them to leave her behind. Sehun almost snapped at Yixing for what complying and pushing them all out but based from the look on Kyungsoo face earlier, he thought that he would’ve done the same thing.

Sehun was running around endlessly after that. At one point in the maze-like hallways of the laboratory, weirdly enough, Sehun got separated from the other three. He preferred it if he was with Yixing since out of everyone inside that facility; Yixing was the only one Sehun was sure is the original. It was because Sehun knew that _they_ couldn’t clone their healer, no matter how hard they tried. Yixing was the only one out of the remaining Guardians without a clone.

“Subject number X-12 has been labeled a traitor. Result to extreme measures.”

Sehun abruptly stopped at the sounds of a girl screaming at the top of her lungs. He paled when he realized it was Kyungsoo’s voice which rang through the hallways of the laboratory’s maze. He clamped his hands over his ears, shaking his head as he continued to run, trying not to hear the pained sounds of suffering from the person who has the same voice as his noona. Seconds later, the screaming stopped. He knew it wasn’t Kyungsoo who was screaming but he couldn’t help but wonder if the older was alright.

“Shit!” Sehun cursed as he ran into a nurse. As said before, he has spent enough time inside that facility to know that the nurses aren’t human. Really, who would be stupid enough to not realize that those nurses were robots? X-94, maybe.

“Another one?” Sehun grumbled as he continuously ran and bumped into one of the robotic nurses. He turned another corner and ran straight. The sirens wailed above his head and the red lights along the hallways blinked endlessly. Sehun could already feel his head starting to ache once again.

“Sehun!”

He turned at the mention of his name. Behind him, he saw Jongdae running towards him. His breaths were heavy and his skin glistened with sweat. He continued to run towards Sehun even when the younger stopped in his tracks.

“Wait.” Jongdae said as he abruptly halted his steps. He continued to stare at Sehun and Sehun continually stared back. Both of them opened their mouths at the same time.

“Which Sehun are you?”

“Which Jongdae-hyung are you?”

They both stared after talking above each other. They were five feet apart, a good distance that gives both of them time to escape when they needed it. The sirens above their heads became background noise and the red lights became unnoticed by both of them.

“Are you Jongdae-hyung?” Sehun asked as he stepped backwards, cautiously checking his surroundings.

“I am, Sehun.” Jongdae answered before narrowing his eyes at him. “Are you Sehun?”

“I am.” Sehun looked around him, glancing at the hallways next to him. He turned back to Jongdae once he secured his exit path.

“Prove it.” he said. “Prove that you’re my hyung!”

Jongdae seemed appalled for the moment before he raised his head and glared at Sehun.

“Why should I prove myself? Why don’t _you_ prove yourself to _me_? See if you like being treated like this!” He shouted, glaring at him.

Sehun’s eyes started to water.

“Hyung!” he shouted as he ran towards Jongdae. X-21, Jongdae’s clone – more commonly known as Chën – would’ve said things in order to prove that he was the real Jongdae because that’s what they were supposed to do. It’s like they were programmed to lie and convince the originals that they weren’t clones. The voice that always conversed with Sehun was annoyingly useful at times like these; The voice was the one who told him that.

“Hyung!” Sehun hugged the older, maybe a bit too tightly – really, who could blame him? – and cried. He would’ve done the same thing to Yixing and the others earlier but he was so angry at that time. Now, he was repeatedly calling for his hyung, who instantly hugged him back and soothed his hair.

“I’m so sorry, Sehun.” Jongdae hushed lowly, despite the lack of air. “If I had known….”

“It’s alright; you didn’t.” Sehun sniffed. He hugged the older tighter, looking small for someone so big. “Even I got deceived.” He said, sighing as he silently emptied his tears out. He felt himself smile for the first time in a long time.

After a while he detached himself from Jongdae to look at the older. Jongdae opened his mouth to say something, but a booming voice from above them cut him off.

“Capture all of them! Don’t let any escape!” the same low voice from earlier boomed through the speaker and the hallway turned red, the lights no longer blinking.

“We need to find the others.” Jongdae huffed, pulling Sehun’s wrist along with him. They ran along the hallways, dodging nurses every now and then. The voice continually boomed over their heads for five minutes until the whole hallways became silent; the sirens no longer wailing. Sehun and Jongdae stopped for a while to survey the area.

“I don’t like this.” The older muttered as he reached behind him to take Sehun’s hand. Sehun willed himself to calm down, cautiously looking around them for anything suspicious. He subconsciously griped Jongdae’s hand tighter, but the older male didn’t comment on it.

Sehun looked inside the room behind them. His brows furrowed as he squinted his eyes, trying to look inside. Jongdae took his spot right beside him and peered inside, as well.

“What are you looking at?” the older asked, raising a brow.

“Those four,” Sehun pointed at the four nurses standing in front of a small rectangular monitor. The room was bare except for that and the nurses. “don’t they have different visors over their faces?” he whispered, looking at the four clearly.

“You’re right.” Jongdae replied. “Theirs are greyish blue in color.” Suddenly he stepped back. Sehun looked at him with wide eyes, shocked at his reaction.

“What’s wrong?” he asked the older.

“I think I recognize one of them!” Jongdae hissed, keeping his voice low. “I don’t know where I’ve seen her before but I definitely know that I did!” Sehun looked back at the four nurses inside the room and was shocked to see them not standing around the monitor anymore.

“What the? Where did they go?” Sehun hissed as he backed up, crashing into Jongdae.

“Subjects number 94 and 21 are at your tail.”

Jongdae hissed at the speaker on the ceiling.

“Sehun, stay close.” he said as they slowly backed up, looking around.

“Release X-21.”

Sehun flinched at the low voice that came from the speakers. The tone was different from before – it almost felt like the person behind the voice was about to murder someone.

“Send him to Subjects number 21 and 94.” The voice continued. Sehun paled.

“Hyung, we need to go.” Sehun quickly pulled on Jongdae’s hand and they ran the opposite way. Being inside the facility the longest made Sehun gather some information. The cheerful voice that always talked to him _talked a lot_ – Sehun wondered how he haven’t spilled the beans because of how talkative he is. Because of the voice, Sehun knew everyone’s laboratory identities; he knew who is who but he only knows how some of them act. For Chën, Sehun knows that he’s annoying as hell.

“Looks like I’m going to meet my twin.” Jongdae huffed as they turned to a corner. Suddenly, he yanked Sehun back, pinning him against the wall.

“H – hyung?” Sehun stuttered, shocked by the movement.

“Listen to me,” Jongdae said, the light tone from earlier disappearing in seconds. “I’m going to meet my own clone while you run. Only one of us can escape from that guy, and it’s going to be you, alright?”

“Bu – but-,”

“No questions, Sehun.” Jongdae said as he pulled out a key from his pocket. “See this?” he showed the silver key to Sehun, who nodded nervously.

Jongdae suddenly dragged the sharp ends of the key against his own palm.

“Hyung!” Sehun launched forwards, trying to take the key away. “What are you doing?!” he yelled as he grabbed the older male’s wrists. Jongdae released the key and it clattered on the floor. Blood started staining the white tiles red.

“When you come find me,” Jongdae huffed, his face scrunching in pain. Sehun almost smacked him then and there. “See if I have this wound. That way, you won’t get fooled who’s the clone and who’s not.”

“B – but-,”

“Listen, Sehun, they cannot be deceived by another clone, alright?” Jongdae placed a hand on Sehun’s shoulder. “After you, I think Junmyeon-noona’s going to go crazy if she finds out that another clone had snuck inside her circle. I – we – can’t let that happen, Sehun, we can’t.” Sehun stayed silent.

“Find everyone, Sehun. Please, find everyone and get us all out of here.” Jongdae pleaded before he ruffled Sehun’s hair with his uninjured hand. “Bring us all home, aright?”

“Okay.” Sehun nodded, straightening himself. He stepped to the side, and looked at Jongdae with sad eyes. He opened his mouth to tell the older that he shouldn’t die or get himself injured more but his words were cut by the large monitor behind them turning on.

“Aww, what a lovely display of yuck!”

Sehun looked up at the monitor while Jongdae glowered at it. Sehun felt the older grip his hand. In front of them, X-21, _Ch_ _ën_ , smiled happily down at them from the large monitor. He even waved at them like a child. Sehun was suddenly reminded to the childish voice that kept talking to him.

“Well, I’d say that’s a wrap on that disgusting play.” Chën said, looking at his nails. “I think, it’s time for one of you to leave so I can have a _chat_ with the other.”

“Sehun, go.” Jongdae said, letting go of Sehun’s hand. Sehun stepped back slowly, looking warily at the older before he turned to his heels and sprinted, already regretting his decision.

“Oh, and Sehun?”

Sehun stopped and looked back. Jongdae was looking at him over his shoulder.

“It was nice seeing you again!”

Sehun felt his eyes water as he turned again, running away from one of the people he desperately wanted to see again for the past six years. By the time Jongdae and Chën were out of earshot, his’s tears started to flow endlessly.

Sehun continued to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe!!
> 
> NEXT UP: He'll get them all out. He's determined to get them all out, until he met him. By him, he means the person who's standing too formally, too strictly, and too serious for his taste. He wanted no business with him. That is, until they had a face to face confrontation with her in the middle.


	30. BAEKHYUN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You wanna know why I made Junmyeon and Kyungsoo into girls????
> 
> It's so I can sin and do this:

Baekhyun ran through the hallways with determination.

The moment the door in the corner of the room opened, Baekhyun took the keys from the nurse that was tending to him and kicked her in the stomach. He used the key to free himself from the cuff on his other hand and chucked the keys to Jongdae, who broke himself just as out easily. Both of them ran out of the opened door and along the way, they got separated from each other. Baekhyun continued running.

“I am not staying another damn minute inside this fucking laboratory!” he yelled at the cameras on the ceiling as he ran. He kept cursing at them until he ran into Chanyeol.

Literally.

“Chanyeol, watch where you’re going!” Baekhyun yelled, a little louder than he intended, as he picked himself up from the cold tiles of the floor.

“Sorry.” Chanyeol apologized while he leaned against the wall. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah. You?” Baekhyun replied, significantly calmer. He glanced at the taller and saw his bright red hair. Chanyeol must be angry, or frustrated. He was doing a good job keeping it under control, though.

Which was weird since Chanyeol always lashes out.

“I’m fine.” Chanyeol nodded. He was about to say something else when both he and Baekhyun got startled from the voice that boomed through the speakers in the ceiling.

“Get them all!”

“Man, that guy’s loud.” Chanyeol huffed as he and Bakehyun ran.

“Look inside rooms, Yeol.” Baekhyun said, looking around.

“What? Why?” Chanyeol asked, looking down at him before looking inside the room that was near him.

“If we’re lucky, we can find the control room.” Bakehyun said, looking inside one of the rooms to his left. “There seemed to be no staircases inside the facility, meaning there’s no second floor or basement. Unless you found one, of course.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve been running for fifteen minutes and I saw none.” Chanyeol replied. “Then that means the control room with all the security footage is in the same floor.”

“Yep. It also means that the ones who took us are in here.” Baekhyun answered, eager to get his hands on those people. They stopped in front of a door but there was nothing inside.

“We need to go.” Chanyeol suddenly grabbed Baekhyun’s arm and pulled him towards the hallway. The siren still wailed above them, annoying Baekhyun more.

Ever since their capture from their specific countries, Baekhyun was getting easier and easier to annoy and to get irritated. He’s been snapping a lot, especially when he sees members of NEO City – someone that Baekhyun doesn’t trust _at all_. Once, days before they went to get Chaeyoung, he even snapped at Jongdae and Kyungsoo. He still regrets doing so even if the two of them forgave him after he bowed lowly in front of them that they didn’t have the heart to say no.

Suddenly, there were footsteps of someone walking towards them. They sounded robotic, in a way, and Baekhyun immediately realizes that they were nurses.

“In here!” Chanyeol suddenly yelled, pulling Baekhyun by the arm inside a room.

“I can’t see anything.” Baekhyun hissed, backing up and getting closer to Chanyeol. The taller stayed still assessing the room.

“Can you not light the room up, Baek?” Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun raised a brow.

“Don’t you know that we don’t have our abilities anymore?” he asked, lightly jabbing Chanyeol’s stomach.

“But….”

“What?”

“I can still feel mine, though.”

Baekhyun stilled.

“…. What?”

“I can still feel my ability, Baek. It’s faint; barely there at all, but I can feel it.”

“Use it.” Baekhyun answered suspiciously. He backed up a bit, creating space in between them. Chanyeol casted a small flame in his palm, lighting the room slightly. Baekhyun’s brows creased together. He didn’t understand it all. Their powers are supposed to be gone, _they_ took them. Chanyeol couldn’t have casted or shouldn’t have showed signs that he has an ability.

“How did you-,”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol answered, staring at his own flame. “I know they took our abilities but I don’t know where this came from.” He said as both of them stared at the flickering orange and red flame. It looks like it was about to go out. “I’m not sure, but I think they didn’t fully get mine.”

“Don’t use it.” Baekhyun said sternly. “If _they_ find out that you still have yours, they’ll come back for you.” Immediately, Chanyeol clenched his fist and the orange glow from his hand disappeared.

“We need to find a way out of this maze.” Baekhyun said, already thinking for something to do. There was literally nothing around them. Well, nothing that Baekhyun could use.

“Guys!”

Baekhyun’s face lit up at the new voice; a voice that he will never forget. It was coming from the speakers.

“Soo!” Bakehyun called, almost too loudly.

“I’m at the staircase. The control room is right next to it. No one’s here.”

“We didn’t see any staircases here, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun said, looking at Chanyeol, who shrugged, not knowing anything about what the girl was saying.

“There’s a staircase leading up to another floor. It’s by the very corner of the laboratory. Meet me here.” Kyungsoo said. “There are only four functioning cameras left inside and I can only see Baekhyun, and Sehun. It’s a risk but I’ll try my best to guide you all through the maze until you show up in the cameras and you get to me.”

“Let’s go.” Baekhyun said, pulling Chanyeol out of the room and into the maze again.

“Baekhyun, turn right.” Kyungsoo called from the speaker. Baekhyun obeyed easily. Chanyeol wordlessly followed after him. Kyungsoo kept saying directions to all of them, calling out names and telling them where to go. She also said that there are clones scattered everywhere. Baekhyun was afraid one of them would go to where Kyungsoo was and stop her from helping them.

Ten minutes into running, Kyungsoo suddenly stopped giving directions and the speakers went silent.

“What happened?” Baekhyun asked, looking around. Chanyeol came to a halt beside him, catching his breath.

“Maybe one of them got to her.” Chanyeol huffed, desperately looking around. “We need to find her.” he hissed, a bit too low for Baekhyun to catch. Suddenly, Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun by the arm and pulled him behind him.

“Well, well, well.”

Baekhyun’s eyes followed Chanyeol’s gaze. Seconds later, they were both staring at _Baekhyun._ Baekhyun finally met his clone, X-04.

X-04 was holding Kyungsoo by the hair. Baekhyun saw the pain in her eyes. There was a thin strip of blood running from the corner of her mouth and down her pale skin. Other than a purple bruise on her cheek, she didn’t have any wounds on her. No other visible wounds, at least.

“X-04.” Chanyeol growled. Baekhyun just stared at the man that was wearing the same clothes and face as him.

“Pretty nice, huh?” X-04 answered, roughly shoving Kyungsoo forwards. She stumbled on her feet and crashed to the ground on her knees. She coughed, tiny red droplets decorated the tiles below her. “Noisy bitches needs to be silenced.”

That was enough to snap Baekhyun from his trance.

“How dare you?!” he yelled as he attempted to move forwards and take the girl in his arms. He knew Jongdae would have a fit if he saw his counterpart being treated like this.

“Don’t move.” X-04 said lowly, his playful tone long gone. Baekhyun stopped in his steps, glaring at the man that was now roughly pulling Kyungsoo’s long hair back, making her look at both Chanyeol and Baekhyun with her neck bared. Never in Baekhyun’s life did he even think of doing that to Kyungsoo – partly because she could kill him the second he lays his hands on her hair, and also because he never wants to see Kyungsoo hurt.

“St – stop.” Kyungsoo rasped out, sounding like she had sandpaper on her throat. She was still on her knees and Baekhyun saw that she didn’t have the strength to move or to fight back. If she did, she would’ve kicked the clone’s ass the moment he laid his hands on her. If only they had their abilities, then Kyungsoo would’ve punched that clone to oblivion.

“See, dear,” X-04 said kneeling on one knee and leaning in close to Kyungsoo’s ear. Baekhyun heard Chanyeol growl lowly. “I need them both, but I can only take one of them. That way, the others will also have fun.” The clone continued, looking at Baekhyun.

“It’s either Baekhyun or Chanyeol.” He whispered. “Because you were smart enough to get your own clone killed and to find the control room all by yourself, I’ll give you the freedom to choose. This is your reward for outsmarting us. You will pick who I will take, Soo.”

“Hell no.” Kyungsoo croaked. She gasped loudly when X-04 pulled harder on her long hair. She gave a barely audible whimper that made Baekhyun angrier. He doesn’t know which one growled like an animal, him or Chanyeol.

“Pick, Soo. Trust me, it’ll be easier that way.” X-04 said. He wrapped his other arm around Kyungsoo’s waist, pulling her close to him – a bit too close for Baekhyun’s taste. He whispered something that Baekhyun didn’t catch and judging from the look on the girl’s face, it wasn’t something good.

“I’m waiting, Kyungsoo.” X-04 said, a bit annoyed and impatient after a few seconds.

There was silence for a second before Kyungsoo replied.

“Fuck you.”

X-04 harshly pushed her to the ground, making her hit her head against the cold tiles.

“You are a monster!” Bakehyun glowered as he yelled, sprinting towards his clone. Chanyeol did the same, but towards Kyungsoo, who was lying limp on the ground.

“You know that you’re calling yourself a monster, right?” X-04 replied, effortlessly backing up from Baekhyun’s attacks and kicks.

“You are not me. You will never be me.” Baekhyun hissed, throwing another punch but ends up getting blocked again.

“Yeol, take Kyungsoo away from here!” he yelled and without a second thought – thankfully! – Chanyeol carried Kyungsoo in his arms and made a run for it, leaving Baekhyun with his clone.

“You are annoying; do you know that?” X-04 asked, placing his hands behind his back. He stood formally in front of Baekhyun.

“You are a pain in the ass; do you know that?” Baekhyun retorted, backing up. “And I only met you a minute ago and just by seeing you make my eyes hurt.” X-04 gasped dramatically, a hand going up in front of his mouth.

“I never thought I’d live the day you called yourself ugly. Damn, I should get recorder next time.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“You’ll never get another chance.” he stepped back again when the clone in front of him stepped towards him, his hands still behind his back. “You’re just some sick imitation. Imitations always get burned.”

“Yeah, but imitations can sometimes be a thousand times better than originals, don’t you think?”

“Oh hell, no, bitch.”

“I have a question.” the clone raised a finger, not responding to Baekhyun’s sneer. “What do you think about the project?” Baekhyun raised a brow.

“I think it’s sick that you experiment on people without their consent.” he answered. “Now, It’s my turn. I have a question, too.” Baekhyun retorted. The clone in front of him raised a brow.

“Where are we?” Baekhyun asked, looking around. X-04 smirked at him.

“This is the DREAM Lab. It was closed, many, _many_ years ago, but the projects continued. It was shut down when that pesky son of a motherfucking bitch found out about the projects continuing.” X-04 glared at the wall, his teeth baring as he seethed. “However,” he sighed, getting visibly calmer. “it was reopened once again to be our home. It’s the site of many experiments related to dreams, manipulation and the mind. The inside plays with reality, sometimes making others lose their minds. No one has escaped its maze-like structures without someone dying or getting severely injured, or, in some cases, being the same ever again. Almost everyone wants to know whatever experiment is going on inside because of how valuable the results are.”

“Why would I want to know some stupid results?”

“Don’t you want to know why you’ve been experimented on and why were you cloned?”

Baekhyun remained silent.

“Well, you can try to get them and find out.” X-04 shrugged. “It’s not like you’re going to get out of here, anyway.

“Don’t talk in endings, bitch. Except for you and your kind, we’re all getting out.” Baekhyun snorted. “I’ve seen and experienced more than enough of what’s happening inside this shithole. Seeing you just closed the deal. I’m getting us all out of here after I get away from you.” He said, determination on his face.

“Are you going to run?” X-04 asked, raising a brow. Baekhyun knew he was taunting him.

“No, I’m going to frolic around and tell everyone I meet to join me as we play inside wonderland while we walk along a yellow brick road.”

“I predicted you’d say that.”

“Fuck you.” Baekhyun gave one last sneer before turning sharply on his heel and going on a full sprint.

“Oh no you don’t.”

Baekhyun blacked out after seeing his face in front of him.

When he woke up, he was next to Kyungsoo. They were both lying on the floor. Chanyeol was there, tending to both of them.

“Where’s everyone else?” Baekhyun asked, sitting up with Chanyeol’s help.

“They’re everywhere.” He suddenly heard Jongdae’s voice. The slightly younger male was standing in front of a lot of monitors as he bent over a microphone on the table.

“Junmyeon-noona, turn right. Yixing-ge, left. Minseok-hyung, left. Sehun, go straight, and you’re on your own. I can’t see you in the screen anymore.”

“It’s weird that there are no nurses around anymore.” Baekhyun said, watching everyone run around in the maze, trying to get to them.

“They were given orders to flee.” Jongdae replied. “No one’s here except for us. Minseok-hyung, turn right. You’re here.”

“When I ran back to get you, we passed by a room full of deactivated nurses, though. I guess they were the ones who were left idle for the whole day.” Chanyeol said from where he was tending to Kyungsoo, who was lying on the ground over Chanyeol’s jacket. “Speaking, why did you pass out of the floor?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “What do you think happens when two lunatics meet?” He answered, looking at the door when the knob jiggled. Jongdae ran over to open the door.

“Who’s not here?” Minseok immediately asked when he got inside of the room. Jongdae closed the door behind him. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were slightly wet, his skin was littered with fresh cuts and wounds, and there were blood patches on his back and a lot of wounds on his face. The way he moved seemed like he wasn’t bothered by any of his wounds at all.

“Junmyeon-noona, Xing-ge and the maknaes.” At Baekhyun’s last word, the door suddenly slammed open and two bodies crashed on the ground.

“Make that Junmyeon-noona and Xing-ge.” Baekhyun said, helping Sehun up on his feet as Jongdae and Minseok helped Jongin.

“Finally, oh my god!” Sehun breathed, leaning against the wall. Jongin did the same beside him.

“What’s gotten you two so tired?” Baekhyun asked, using the sleeves of his jacket to wipe the sweat from the maknaes’ foreheads.

“There was one creepy nurse that was running after us.” Jongin said. “Honestly, that was terrifying.”

“What do you mean?” Minseok asked, turning to the two of maknaes. Jongdae’s voice was heard in the background, still telling directions over the microphone.

“She was actually just walking but she appeared from everywhere.” Jongin said, turning to Sehun.

“You know that they aren’t going to do anything to you, right?” Baekhyun raised a brow at them, knowing that the nurses were practically harmless without given an order.

“We know, but she was scary! She showed up everywhere we went!” Sehun whined, collapsing on the ground in a heap of a panting mess. “But then, she suddenly disappeared, but we kept running.”

“That’s it, Yixing-ge! Turn left and you’re here!” Jongdae’s voice suddenly boomed behind them and at the same time, the doors opened Yixing came barreling to the floor.

“Hyung!” the maknaes shouted at the same time. Baekhyun was by his counterpart’s side as soon as he fell to the ground.

“Are you alright?” Baekhyun asked. “Does anything hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.” Yixing answered, smiling up at Baekhyun.

“That only leaves Junmyeon-noona.” Jongdae’s voice was heard from behind. “Thank god she’s near. I don’t want to waste my voice anymore.” He said. “Noona, last left.” Baekhyun turned around to look at the monitors at Jongdae’s last words. Minseok opened the door and revealed Junmyeon running towards them. She immediately engulfed Minseok in a hug when she walked through the door. She collapsed against him right after that.

Suddenly, a siren wailed in the air.

“Ten minutes before self-destruction.” A voice over their head said. It was an automated female that Baekhyun frowned at when he heard it.

“We have no time to wait for them to stand on their own.” Minseok said as he lifted his barely conscious counterpart. Chanyeol did the same with Kyungsoo. “We need to go.” Their oldest said.

“I’ll lead.” Jongdae and Baekhyun said at the same time before they shared a look. Minseok nodded at them seconds later. Baekhyun took the maknaes’ hands and ran towards the door and up the stairs. Jongdae was running beside him while Minseok and Chanyeol followed them. Yixing was at the far back, guarding the rear.

“Six minutes before self-destruction.”

They went up and up and up and up until they reached a blank and empty hall. The walls were tall glass panes that made you see the green forest outside. The moonlight poured in, making their eyes hurt due to the prolonged captivity that prevented them to see natural light.

“Four minutes before self-destruction.”

“There’s cars outside!” Jongin suddenly yelled, his voice echoing through the empty hall. He pointed at the black cars outside.

“Hotwire it and let’s go!” Minseok yelled and they all ran.

“Wait, we need to get something!” Sehun suddenly yelled. Baekhyun watched him turn and run back.

“What the hell are going on about?!” Minseok yelled, his hold on his counterpart tightening.

“The Dreamscape data, we need it!” Sehun yelled as he turned, only for Beakhyun to harshly pull him back.

“Are you crazy?! This is no time for some stupid experiment results!” Baekhyun yelled at him, pulling him back towards the others. Just then, Kyungsoo woke up and was on her own feet, trying to process everything. Chanyeol was keeping a tight hand wrapped around hers to keep her balanced.

“Two minutes before self-destruction.”

“Fuck! Hotwire the car!” Minseok yelled. Everyone rushed towards the car and boarded. Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongin sat at the very back, Junmyeon and Minseok sat in front of them with Yixing – their leader was still unconscious – and Jongdae beside them, while Kyungsoo sat at the very front, with Baekhyun on the driver’s seat.

Technically, it was supposed to be Jongdae who was up front, but seeing that he wants to be the one tending to their leader as their healer tends to Minseok’s wounds, Baekhyun was the next best thing to hotwire the car. He did so in under a minute.

“Thirty seconds before self-destruction.”

Without hesitation, Baekhyun backed up the car.

“Hold on tight!” he yelled, drifting the car towards the driveway.

Behind them, the whole facility blew up, hitting them with the shockwave. It wasn’t enough to make them flip because they were a god distance way and because of the trees surrounding the compound, but it was enough for them to feel it rock the car.

Baekhyun didn’t turn back.

The drive was silent. Baekhyun was aware that everyone (Sehun) was angry at him. He’s angry at himself, too. That experiment data was important – they could’ve found out a lot from the results alone. He didn’t answer Sehun’s questions; he pretended he didn’t hear them as their youngest continued to seethe at him. His knuckles where white on the steering wheel as he continued to drive. From the terrain and the place – and the conveniently placed GPS map on the dashboard – Baekhyun knew they were driving through the mountains of Sangju. The nearest place for them to go was towards Daegu, before they could go back to either Gwangju, their temporary home, or to Daejeon, where Taeyong’s house was.

Baekhyun drove for three hours before they reached the outskirts of Daegu at dawn.

It also took three hours for Sehun to start acting up.

“We should’ve went back for it.” he said, noticeably seething in his seat.

“Really, Sehun. Think about this: could you have made it back in time?” Jongdae replied lowly.

“Yes!” Sehun raised his voice. Baekhyun felt the headache coming.

“Really, now? Are you sure you weren’t blown to bits?” Jongdae asked. Baekhyun could feel him sneering. “You can’t turn back time to go back, Sehun.”

“Zitao could’ve.” Sehun muttered.

“Well, he’s not here, is he, Sehun?” Baekhyun said from up front. “Your counterpart’s dead.” Kyungsoo punched his leg immediately as he said that.

“Yes, but that’s valuable information, Baekhyun!” Sehun yelled at him.

Baekhyun’s head throbbed.

“I know how valuable the results are, Sehun!” Baekhyun yelled back, the car swerved a bit.

“Baekhyun, calm down.” Kyungsoo hissed beside him. Baekhyun ignored her.

“If you didn’t-,”

“Shut the fuck up, Sehun!” Baekhyun turned his head, his eyes leaving the road to look directly into the maknae’s eyes. He was so full of anger and frustration at that moment and he didn’t care about anything else. He wanted to rip Sehun’s throat out so he could shut up about the results and everything.

A hand suddenly wrapped tightly around his arm.

“Baekhyun, stop the car.”

Baekhyun turned sharply towards Kyungsoo. He was about to yell at her, too, before he saw t look on her face. She was looking up at him with fear in her glossy eyes. Her hand trembled as she gripped his arm tightly. She looked back and forth between Baekhyun and the road.

“Please, Baekhyun!” she pleaded, gaining the attention of the people at the back.

“Baekhyun!”

“Why?”

“Oppa, please stop the car!”

Baekhyun just stared, not stepping on the break because of how shocked he was at Kyungsoo’s begging tone.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo grabbed the wheel and sharply turned it to the right, causing Bakehyun to snap from his trance and step on the break. The car drifted to the side, narrowly missing the tree that was there. They tilted for a moment before the car dropped on the road with a loud noise. Thankfully, they didn’t crash.

“Is everyone alright?” a lot of groans and noises were heard after Baekhyun’s question. He turned to his right and saw the shotgun seat door was open and Kyungsoo was nowhere to be seen.

Baekhyun immediately unbuckled his seatbelt, not minding the pain from his body and stepped out from the car, looking for the younger.

“Kyungsoo?!” he called, swaying a little on his feet. The others slowly filled out of the car after him.

“Kyungsoo?!” he called again. “Kyung-,” he stopped when he heard crying. He saw Kyungsoo in the middle of the road, ten meters away from them. She was tightly hugging a boy in her arms. The said child was crying his heart out on her shoulder. They all jogged towards them.

“Soo?” Junmyeon – who woke up during Baekhyun’s and Sehun’s little spat – asked as she went near. Kyungsoo didn’t answer. She continued to hug the boy, whispering words every now and then. When Kyungsoo let go of the boy, he wasn’t crying anymore.

“See? You’re fine.” Kyungsoo said in a soothing voice Baekhyun has never heard from her before. The child, barely looking five years old, sniffed as he clutched Kyungsoo’s white shirt.

“I was so scared.” The boy sniffed, hugging Kyungsoo again.

“It’s alright. The car won’t hit you.” Kyungsoo hushed, running her hand through the boy’s brown hair.

“Don’t worry, Baekhyunnie-samcheon’s not going to run you over. I promise I will skin him alive if he does. Mommy’s here to protect you.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened impossibly.

So did Minseok’s.

So did Junmyeon’s.

So did Yixing’s.

So did Jongdae’s.

So did Chanyeol’s.

So did Jongin’s.

So did Sehun’s.

“I’m here, Jisung. Mommy’s finally here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live off Drama hahahahahahaha!!!!
> 
> Sorry if it's not up to your standards or... something.... I didn't want the story to only have one straight line to follow so I thought of this for Drama and what's a fanfiction without Drama??? Hwehwehwehwe  
> -Jan
> 
> NEXT UP: They've come far, but they made a small mistake. One case closes as another one opens. He made one fatal mistake, but he didn't know it was a mistake....... She saw it, but she didn't understand it.


	31. TAEYONG

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My timing is weird.....

“Listen to me, Jungwoo, this will be your first mission even if you still have seven months left, alright?”

Taeyong gripped Jungwoo’s shoulder firmly as she stared into his dark eyes.

“I understand, noona.” Junwoo nodded at her. “I will try my best to protect the others.”

“That’s my boy.” Taeyong took the boy in her arms tightly before releasing and smiling at him.

“Don’t get into trouble.” She kissed the boy’s forehead before Jungwoo turned around after he waved at her, walking away and ready to board the bus that was waiting by the front of the house.

“Stay safe, everyone!” Taeyong yelled at all of the faces poking out of the windows of the said bus, all of them smiling widely at her.

“Bye, noona!” the boys all yelled.

“Bye, unnie!” Chaeyoung waved at her.

The bus left shortly after that and Taeyong was left alone inside the house that was once so noisy, she thought it was a zoo. It was the first time she’s sending the kids away on their own and without her. She trusts Jungwoo. As the oldest, he can handle all of them. She knows Chaeyoung will help, too. She just hopes that nothing bad will happen.

All the kids were off to Daegu; towards the Min household. It was the next best thing for them to do since Taeyong would be busy for more than two weeks. She and Jinki arranged their stay at Daegu so that someone would look after them while they both attend a close friend’s funeral.

“I hate funerals.” Taeyong muttered to herself as she picked up stray toys from Yang Yang, Chenle and Jisung’s toy box off of the floor.

They were set to attend Jonghyun’s funeral.

Jonghyun was a close friend to her, her brother and to Jinki but Jonghyun was closer with the latter two because they’ve known each other longer. Nevertheless, all three of them were emotionally distraught when they found out that he died. Taeyong was almost afraid to show herself to the kids when she found out because of how disheveled she looked.

The kids rarely saw Jonghyun. Sure, he visited sometimes, but the only person who was close to recognizing him would be Jungwoo because he is the one who is staying with Taeyong for the longest time. Even Mark, Jeno and Donghyuk didn’t see him much even when Taeyong’s brother is practically Jonghyun’s baby. The others probably saw him once or twice at max, but even so, when they found out that one of Jinki’s and Taeyong’s friends died at a battle, they tried their best to console the two of them. Jungwoo and Chaeyoung tried to do most of the chores and disciplining around the house. The younger ones tried their best to become behaved and quiet. Even Jisung was noticing the atmosphere. Both Taeyong and Jinki are grateful to them for that.

“You did well, Jonghyun.” Jinki said from beside Taeyong at the day of the funeral.

The event was small, held in the boarders of Seoul. Sure, Jonghyun was an Army Captain but his family wanted everything to be quiet. It was a private funeral; strictly for close friends, family and colleagues only. It was the reason why Taeyong and Jinki couldn’t bring any of the kids with them. Johnny was there, along with Yuta and Taeil – Doyoung had to stay in Chicago, Kun had to stay in the company building in Seoul, Sicheng had to stay in the company building in Beijing, and Jaehyun had to leave Chicago to stay with the kids in Daejeon.

When the time came for Jonghyun’s closest friends to stand and place their white roses on top of the ones his family members placed, Taeyong watched as four people stood to drop off their flowers. Jinki was first to drop his. Kibum, an executive from one of Suh Enterprises’ partners in South Korea, was next. Minho, an army officer and Jonghyun’s childhood friend, was next. Lastly, Taemin, Taeyong’s older brother, Jonghyun’s baby, placed his own white rose over Jonghyun’s casket. They went back to their seats shortly after Jinki gave a small speech about his friend. Taeyong couldn’t help but tear up.

Soon, everyone has given all their own roses and the casket was lowered. A South Korean flag was presented to Jonghyun’s family, symbolizing his all hard work. Taeyong stood next to a tree at the very back of the crowd, away from everybody as she stared at the funeral with hollow eyes. The weather was ironically nice for the event. “At least it isn’t raining.” Johnny said when they talked a little over five minutes ago.

A man suddenly stood beside Taeyong. She looked up at the man, curious as to why he would stand next to her when all the others were up front, near Jonghyun’s grave marker. The man’s body was well built, he was very tall, his skin was a bit tanned and his dark hair was cut, short strands were hanging over his dark sunglasses. He looked slightly out of place with his red dress shirt, white tie and black blazer, pants and shoes. Taeyong frowned at that one. The red dress shirt was disrespectful for the funeral.

Well, he looked like he was just passing by, so Taeyong let it go.

But when he opened his mouth to speak, Taeyong frowned.

“He did well, indeed.” The man said with a bit of an accent from a dialect. He said it so lowly that Taeyong barely caught it. Before Taeyong could respond, before she could ask if he knew Jonghyun, the man turned around and walked away, his posture perfectly straight like an officer’s – it was how Minho and Jonghyun walked when they were in uniform – and he continued walking until he disappeared from Taeyong’s sight a minute later.

Two days after the funeral, Taeil and Yuta – for some unknown reason – had to go back to Chicago. Doyoung arrived in Seoul shortly after the older two left. Taeyong had to stay in Seoul with Johnny for the time being while Jinki spends time with his friends and Taeyong’s brother. Taeyong has been cooped up inside Johnny’s office in his company building ever since the funeral because she didn’t want to go back to Daejeon on her own, considering that the kids were having fun in Daegu and they seemed to not want to leave – Jaehyun sent her a photo the night before and it was a picture of the kids having a pillow fight.

She wandered the building in her spare time – which is a lot since she doesn’t have much to do. She also makes sure everyone inside the building rests. Especially one that’s named Qian Kun. For the whole time that Taeyong has been there, Kun has never left his spot in front of his monitors.

“Kun, will it kill you to stand up?” Taeyong asks the younger, four days after the funeral. She was wandering the top halls of Johnny’s building when she came across Kun’s little hide out. She already scolded the younger the day before and she finally managed to get him to stand from his seat and eat something decent. Kun mysteriously disappeared from his office room the next day and Taeyong thought he was finally taking a break but she was wrong; Kun just changed locations.

He freaking moved to the _storage compartment,_ for goodness sakes!

“Hold on, noona.” Kun answered after while of being at the end of a disapproving stares. “I just have to finish this.” He said.

“That’s what you said yesterday, Kun.” Taeyong lightly scolded, entering the small room. “Jeez, you look like a fourteen-year-old gamer without real life friends.” Kun laughed at Taeyong’s joke.

“And I’m done!” he finally raised his fingers from his keyboard and stretched his hands up high, the satisfying sounds of joints cracking were heard.

“What were you working on, anyway?” Taeyong asked getting closer to the younger.

“It’s a new creation.” Kun simply answered. “I don’t have a name for it yet, but I know it will become useful, especially for us.” He said, oddly sounding like one of those teenage hackers that live in their mothers’ basement.

“What does it do?” Taeyong asked, looking down at the holographic monitors in front of Kun.

“It finds people with different energy emissions than that of a normal human being and registers them immediately inside of an encrypted database that only Youngho-hyung and I can access.” Kun explained, swiping his hands in the air as he shows the features of his creation.

“So it tracks people with abilities?” Taeyong asked, eyes slightly wider than usual.

“Basically, yeah, and it finds out what ability they have.” Kun nodded, swiping his hand in the air again. “It also means I can find out what ability you have, noona.”

Taeyong stared at the screens for a moment, not really understanding the cones and numbers that were written there but she just stared. “I’ll take that offer when you perfect everything.” she said, chuckling a bit nervously.

“Don’t worry, noona, I won’t use it on you if you’re not comfortable with it.” Kun said with a smile.

“Alright, then. Now that you’re done with what you’re working on, time to get some rest.” Taeyong smiled at the younger. “Come on.” She beckoned as she walked towards the exit of the room.

“Okay.” Kun sighed as he stood from his seat. “I’ll go get some coffee then.” He said, joining Taeyong by the door

“I’ll go see what’s Youngho up to.” Taeyong said, turning to the direction of the taller male’s office. “I’ll join you in a bit.”

“Alright.” Kun waved and went the opposite direction. Taeyong watched him go towards the other end of the hallway and inside the elevator just to make sure that he doesn’t go against Taeyong’s wishes (orders). When she was satisfied, she walked towards Johnny’s office.

“Youngho?” she called as she knocked at the door. Technically, she didn’t need to knock since she practically lives inside the office for the whole week – Johnny lets her use the bedroom he usually sleeps in when he stays at the building.

“Come in!” Johnny’s voice came from the inside. Taeyong reached for the knob and twisted, pushing the door open.

“You look like a father.” Taeyong said almost immediately after she opened the door.

“I’m twenty-three, and so are you.” Johnny said, looking up from his desktop to look at Taeyong. The girl smiled softly before closing the door gently behind her.

“I swear; I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone inside this building gets sick except for Doyoung. He’s’ the only one who actually knows how to take a break.” Taeyong shook her head as she walked towards the couch stationed in front of Johnny’s table. “Kun’s always doing something in his monitors and you’re always working.”

“You’re one to talk, Youngie.” Johnny chuckled, resuming on his typing. “When you’re at the house, you don’t take a break at all.”

“That’s different.” Taeyong replied, slightly glaring at the taller. “They’re kids. I can’t take my eyes off of them.”

“Jungwoo’s already turning twenty, seven months from now, Taeyong.”

“He’s still a baby.”

“Then what are the other kids, then? Egg cells?”

“That was uncalled for!”

Both of them chuckled for a moment.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, Youngho.” Johnny hummed at Taeyong’s question.

“I know it’s been two years, but what happened to your investigation on the Arizona fire?”

Johnny was silent. Taeyong noticed that his fingers stopped typing, but Johnny’s gaze remained on the screen of his desktop. A few seconds into silence, Johnny finally spoke.

“I’m positive that it wasn’t Chanyeol-hyung.” He replied. Taeyong noticed that his fingers were twitching ever so slightly.

“What do you mean?” Taeyong crossed her arms over her chest. “You found proof that it wasn’t him? Did you finally found where he was captured?”

“Yeah.” Johnny replied with a nod. “Before they went missing, he told me that he remembers booking a flight to Colorado when he left Brisbane. I started with that. He told me he was supposed to meet Kyungsoo-noona, but somehow, he doesn’t remember why they were meeting in the first place. Noona also said that she didn’t know about them meeting, so I assumed that no one, except Chanyeol-hyung, Chaeyoung and Baekhyun-hyung, knew that he was going to Colorado in the first place. Baekhyun-hyung knows becauseChanyeol-hyung said that he got noona’s location from him.”

“But, didn’t they say that no one will reveal anyone’s locations? I mean, sure, Kyungsoo-unnie knew her members’ locations but it wasn’t her fault for having that vision.” Taeyong frowned. “And wasn’t Baekhyun-oppa who suggested that they won’t reveal anything? Why would he go against his own word?”

“That’s what I wanted to know, too.” Johnny sighed, resuming on his typing. “But I don’t think he trusts me that much to let me know why and how Chanyeol-hyung asked him where noona was.”

“So, where did you find him?”

“He didn’t know how he got there but he was, as assumed, captured in Arizona. Though, in a completely different location than what we expected. He was several miles away from the actual fire. He was captured standing over old castle ruins. There was no way he could’ve caused the fire from the time he was last sighted. The forest was just too far away.”

“You know that none of that makes any sense, right?” Taeyong said, feeling another headache coming.

“I know.” Johnny answered with a sigh. “Unless Chanyeol-hyung remembers why he was going to meet Kyungsoo-noona, or if he remembers how he ended up in Arizona in the first place, or unless noona figures out why hyung wanted to meet her, we won’t know the truth behind that fire.”

“Or, unless Baekhyun-oppa tells you why he gave away unnie’s location.”

“Yeah, that, too.”

“Aside from the fact that the Guardians are missing, the origins of that Arizona fire is the only mystery we still can’t solve, even after two years.”

Taeyong sighed before she spoke again.

“There’s another thing I wanted to ask about.”

“Go ahead.”

“Kun said something… a bit disturbing… during unnie’s capture.”

“And that is?” Johnny asked, glancing at Taeyong for a moment. Taeyong breathed before she finally let it out.

“Kun said that he saw two different Park Chanyeols when he went through video footage of the capture.”

There was silence between them.

Johnny sat there, doing nothing as he looked down. Taeyong knew she might’ve touched a serious topic just by the look on the slightly older male’s face. Johnny answered aa minute later.

“There were.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“There _were_ two Park Chanyeols there.”

“…. What?”

Johnny sighed heavily, looking into Taeyong’s eyes. “There were two of the same person present during the mission. One was Chanyeol-hyung, the other was a literal copy of Chanyeol-hyung.”

“Is – Is that even possible?” Taeyong asked cautiously, her brows furrowing.

“In a world like this, Yongie, everything’s possible.” Johnny answered, his tone turning grave. “There’s also the possibility that the person who burned that forest up was Chanyeol-hyung’s copy. That’s the only lead we have.”

“But you’re not sure, right, Youngho?”

“Yes, we’re not yet sure about anything. It’s only a possibility. And don’t tell anyone about this, Taeyong.”

“Why not?”

“No one but us and Kun knows about the two Park Chanyeols present during Chaeyoung’s rescue. Assuming that we find them, the others might go mad with disbelief and they will eventually ask about it and would probably keep close eyes on him. Chaeyoung would get angry at us if she finds out we’re keeping tabs on her brother, too. Me and Kun will discreetly keep an eye on him.”

“But what if Chaeyoung gets in trouble because of him?” Taeyong frowns at Johnny.

“That’s why we’ll be sending her away.” Johnny replies.

“Will Chanyeol-oppa know?”

“It’s a risk, but he must. The others will not. I’ll privately talk to Junmyeon-noona when we find them. Only us and Junmyeon-noona will know everything, and probably Kyungsoo-noona, too, because she might find out eventually.” The taller sighed again before his expression turned dark, his fingers no longer typing on his keyboard. He sat silently on his chair, his eyes not leaving the screen of his desktop. Much like he did before, when Taeyong asked about the fire.

“Did you call them? How is she?” he asked, looking down. At the question, Taeyong stared blankly at the wall, thinking of how to answer.

“I called Jungwoo earlier. He said that everything’s fine.” She replied after a few seconds of silence. “But Chaeyoung’s still waiting by her window every night, not saying a word. She acts normal in the morning but Jungwoo said she’s different when it’s just the two of them who’re awake.”

“We’ve been trying our best.” Johnny replied after a pause.

“I know. You know, too, that Chaeyoung knows about your efforts.” Taeyong said, looking at Johnny. “A year ago, she asked about her brother constantly. Now, she rarely asks. I have an assumption that she thinks that she’s bothering us.”

“But she’s not. It’s my job to find them. And it doesn’t help at all that I don’t trust the Chanyeol-hyung that will come with them when we _do_ find them.” The older sighed rubbing his face with his palms. “Should I let Chaeyoung kill me if she finds out?”

“Don’t talk like that, Youngho.” Taeyong said sharply, glaring at the taller.

Silence engulfed the two of them a second later, none of them speaking. It was Johnny who cut it. it’s _always_ Johnny who cuts it.

“It’s not just her.” he said as he looked at Taeyong. “Jisung, too. He’s just a boy.”

“I don’t know what to tell him, to be honest.” Taeyong looked up at the ceiling. “He asked for her a lot of times. He cried himself to sleep when unnie didn’t show up at his fourth and fifth birthday.”

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“He didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Is he really a kid? Are you sure he’s not a teen?”

“He’s smart, Youngho. Your father said that you were like that when you were a child, too. If you’re going to ask, we went out for coffee with Yuta when you disappeared off to Vancouver alone. He asked us if we knew why you decided to travel alone and we went off topic.”

“You didn’t tell me that, either.”

“Your father was quite amused to tell the story, actually. Yuta and I found it funny.”

“Hyung, I’ve found a lead!”

Taeyong flinched when the doors of Johnny’s office slammed open and revealed a disheveled looking Kun on the other side. She just saw the younger earlier and she was shocked to see his image change so fast after only a few minutes.

“I’m sorry, noona.” Kun apologized immediately when he saw her standing in front of Johnny’s desk. Taeyong waved at him with a smile. “I was downstairs, drinking coffee when a buzz from my ability alerted me.”

“What did you find, Kun?” Johnny immediately stood from his seat, acting as though his talk with Taeyong never happened.

“An abandoned research facility blew up just outside of Sangju thirty minutes ago.” Kun said.

“Sangju? Why the hell would th – shit. Don’t tell me – fuck.” Taeyong heard Johnny curse at himself. She raised a brow at the slightly older before she turned back to Kun.

“I’ve gathered satellite images of the place from two years ago and found people wondering on and off of the property in government cars on the month Kyungsoo-noona and the others disappeared. After that month, nothing touched the area up until this morning.” The younger explained, handing a thick folder to Johnny. Taeyong stood from the couch and rushed beside the taller to look at the contents of the folder.

“Are these them?” Taeyong asked, pulling out a picture that showed people in white running towards a black car and another picture of the same car drifting off of the driveway. The last picture showed the building exploding. All the photos were dark since it was taken at night, Taeyong’s surprised she saw what was going on in the pictures. “Are these really them?” She asked again as she showed it to Kun and the younger nodded.

“Yes, I think that’s them.” He said. “Based on their current location now, I think they’re heading off to Daegu.” He said as he swiped his hand in the air, his holographic screens appearing instantly. “I’ve been tracking the car and I’m positive that it’s them.”

“All this time, for two years,” Taeyong saw Johnny clench his fists on top of his desk as he seethed to himself. “All this time, they’ve been in the same country and I didn’t even know. Why didn’t I think – Sangju, of all places, why Sangju?” He hissed through his gritted teeth.

“None of us knew, Youngho.” Taeyong placed a gentle hand over the slightly older male’s clenched hands. “I’m angry, too, but this isn’t the time for that.” she said before she looked at Kun.

“Call Doyoung and get the car ready, Kun. We’re leaving in fifteen.” The younger nodded immediately and rushed out, pulling out his phone.

“Come on, Youngho.” Taeyong grabbed Johnny’s hand and pulled him towards the walk in closet next to his office.

Thank god they weren’t in Chicago or else, packing and going to Daegu would’ve been a military feat. Since they were in Johnny’s company building in Seoul, it made Taeyong’s job of packing a lot easier because everything they need is just inside the slightly older male’s small walk in closet.

“I can’t believe this.” Johnny muttered to himself as he pulled out a ready-made luggage bag from the corner and passed it to Taeyong. “I pushed Kun and everyone else to their limit, only to find out that they were here the entire time.” He hissed to himself.

“There was no way you could’ve known, Youngho. Stop beating yourself over it. Let’s just be glad that they’re finally found.” Taeyong said as she pulled out Kun’s and Doyoung’s ready-made-luggage bag and pushed them towards the office along with Johnny’s own and hers. “Everyone worked hard but sometimes, we tend to look over the little things.” she said, pulling Johnny out of the closet, closing the door behind them.

“Remind me to not let that happen ever again.” Johnny said as he pulled two luggage bags towards the hallway with Taeyong following after him with the other two. Johnny pulled out his phone from his pocket and began talking like there’s no tomorrow. She figured that he’s talking to the others in Chicago, and probably to Sicheng, who was in Beijing.

“Hyung, noona!” Taeyong whipped her head towards the end of the hallway when she heard someone call, and she saw Doyoung rushing towards them.

“I’ll take that, noona.” Doyoung said as he took both of the luggage in Taeyong’s hands.

“Thanks.” Taeyong said and earned a nod from the younger. They walked towards the elevator at the other end of the hallway and rode down towards the basement, Johnny still talking on the phone.

“ _Have him arrive tomorrow. Thanks.”_ He said in Chinese – Taeyong only caught a few words but she thinks that’s what he meant to say – before he pulled his phone down. On cue, the elevator doors opened; they arrived in the basement less than a minute later.

“Sir, you’re leaving? It’s the middle of the night.” the security guard near the exit asked as he helped them with loading the four bags inside the car Kun pulled up next to the elevator.

“Sicheng will arrive in the morning.” Johnny said to the security guard as they boarded the car – Johnny was up front with Doyoung, who switched up with Kun, on the driver’s seat while Kun and Taeyong sat at the back. “I’ll be back in three days at max.” the older said to the security guard, pulling his door close. He looked up at the officer through the open window.

“To anyone who asks, tell them I’m out of the country.”

“Yes, sir!” the guard gave a salute – not even questioning what Johnny said because apparently, Kun whispered to Tayong, Johnny says that a lot when he leaves for personal matters (occasionally for NEO City matters, too) – and the guard escorted them out of the basement parking within minutes. They were speeding off to Daegu at two thirty in the morning without any questions seconds later.

“I’ve already informed Jaehyun, hyung.” Doyoung said from the driver’s seat. “All the kids are asleep and he’s going to pull up an all-nighter while he waits.”

“How many hours are they away, Kun?” Johnny asked looking behind him. The younger waved a hand in front of him and his holographic monitors showed up, a lot smaller than they usually were because of the tight space they were in, and it revealed a map with a glowing red dot on it.

“About two hours. For us, it’ll take about five to six, at max.” Kun said, waving his hand again and making his monitors disappear. Johnny looked at the front again. Taeyong could see his face contort into a deep frown. He was muttering to himself again. He does that when he’s angry. She knows something’s wrong with Johnny but she didn’t comment on it. She didn’t want to anger him even more by asking.

“Don’t rush, Doyoung.” She said, instead. “Jaehyun’s there and nothing will happen. Drive safely.”

“Okay, noona.”

Taeyong looked outside the window and watched as they drove through the dark roads of Seoul towards Daegu’s own winding roads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss Jong.... 
> 
> NEXT UP: "So, where do you want to start?" she asked. "From the beginning, Kyungsoo." they answer. He just listens.


	32. JONGIN

When Jongin woke up, he fully expected his body to hurt. He was struggling to open his eyes and the pillow that was under his head was a bit hard – maybe he was imagining things because he thought the pillow moved on its own. When he finally managed to open his eyes, he was greeted with a very tall ceiling and a very wide room with bright sunlight coming from the window to his right. But that’s not all that he saw.  
He also saw ten pairs of eyes staring right at him.

“What the fuck?!” he screeched, voice going higher than an octave. His eyes went wide as he stumbled back, crashing with whatever or whoever was behind him. Judging from the scream of pain from behind him, it was clearly a “who”.

“Jongin, what the-?!” the someone behind Jongin, probably Sehun – who also would be the probable reason behind Jongin’s stiff neck because his butt is hard as hell – stopped midway from his cursing when he saw the same ten pairs of eyes staring at them.

“What the hell is going on?” Sehun whispered beside Jongin’s ear.

“I’m not really sure.” Jongin whispered back.

“Hyung, he said a bad word!” the shortest – probably the youngest, too – pointed at Jongin as he looked at the oldest-looking person among the group.

“Yes, he did. Don’t copy him, okay?” The oldest said, holding on to the shorter boy’s hand and pulling it down. “And It’s rude to point at people, Chenle.”

“You know; it’s rude to stare, too.” Sehun muttered from behind Jongin. All the ten boys remained still as they continued to stare at them, as if they were attractions in a zoo. Some of the boys didn’t even look at either Jongin or Sehun, but all round them. Jongin even saw one of the kids – one of the younger ones – pull on another kid to whisper something in his ear. He said something about being able to vaguely recognize one of them.

Jongin turned around and saw bodies dressed in all white clothes sprawled all around the floor. Only then did he realize that they were all lying on the carpet of the living room of someone’s home. When Jongin counted the bodies, he got up to six, including him and Sehun. All of the others started waking up, too, quietly sitting up from their positions, only to stay frozen in their spots when they saw the same ten pairs of eyes Jongin and Sehun saw.

“Alright, that’s enough staring for one day.” Someone from upstairs said, making everyone to look up, including Jongin. His eyes widened when he saw Jaehyun leaning over the railings of the second floor to look at them. Jongin knew that it was already two years since he last saw him, but damn, he literally looked the same.

“Jungwoo, please take them all outside.” Jaehyun said, looking at the boys.  
“Okay.” The oldest-looking boy – Jungwoo? – nodded as he turned to the remaining nine.

“You heard what Jaehyun-hyung said.” he told everyone and slowly, all of them turned to go to the hallway.

“Sorry about that.” Jaehyun said from upstairs. “They usually don’t get visitors when they’re here. Especially when Taeyong-noona isn’t with them.” The sounds of footsteps hurrying down the stairs was heard seconds later.

“Where are we?” Sehun whispered from behind Jongin.

“I’m the last person you should be asking, Hun.” Jongin whispered back, slightly turning his body.

“And who was that guy?” Sehun asked.

Shit.

Jongin almost forgot.

Sehun – the original Sehun – wasn’t with them when they met Jaehyun and the others. It was his first time meeting all of them because-,

Jongin silently cursed at himself.

“I’ll fill you in later.” Jongin just says, leaning back as he whispered. Sehun seemed confused for a second before he nodded.

“This is the Min Household.” Jaehyun said, appearing from the corner, where the stairs were probably stationed. “I might say, you picked a good place to drive to. you have good timing, too.” the younger said, standing in front of all of them – they were all still on the floor; Jongin and Sehun was on the carpet, Junmyeon was on the couch, Minseok was right next to her on the ground, and Baekhyun was behind Jongdae, who was behind Sehun.

“When did we get here?” Junmyeon asked, shaking her head a little.

“A little over three hours ago.” Jaehyun answered. “You gave us quite a scare, too.”

“What do you mean?” Minseok asked, properly sitting up.

“You arrived at the neighborhood at four in the morning. You tried to run Jisung over, too.” Jaehyun’s expression turned dark for a brief moment but his features softened right after that, as if his previous expression never showed up.

“Jisung?” Junmyeon suddenly gasped. “The boy? Is he alright? Where’s Kyungsoo?” she suddenly asked, her tone a bit frantic.

“He’s fine. He’s upstairs, sleeping with Kyungsoo-noona. Yixing-hyung is there with them. He healed all of your wounds and up until an hour ago, he was healing Jisung’s scratches from falling on the asphalt.” Jaehyun answered, gesturing to the second floor. “Chanyeol-hyung’s upstairs, too. He’s with his sister.”

“Chaeyoung…. How is she? What happened when we were gone?” Junmyeon asked.

“What happened when we returned?” Minseok asked.

“Is it true that Kyungsoo has a son?” Jongdae asked.

“Where’s the owner of this house, anyway?” Sehun asked.

“What the hell is happening?” Jongin asked.  
Baekhyun stayed silent.

“Please calm down.” Jaehyun raised both of his hands in front of him. “Now that you’re here, all questions can be answered, but please, can we wait until Youngho-hyung arrives and Kyungsoo-noona wakes up? We can answer all your questions.”

“Can we please get out of these clothes, first?” Jongin suddenly blurted. He covered his mouth instantly, looking embarrassed.

“We can arrange that.” Jaehyun nodded, gesturing for all of them to stand up.  
Jongin stood up on his own, dusting himself off. He turned around and watched everybody else stand, cleaning themselves. He turned to Jaehyun after a while and saw him walking towards the corner he appeared from only minutes ago.

“This way.” He said. Jongin and the others followed after him.

As they walked up the steps, every one of them looked around. The walls were decorated with portraits of nature and city lights. A few pictures of two boys were scattered everywhere, some even with a woman that’s probably their mother. Jongin noticed that there was no picture of the father, though. He frowned as he wonders why.

They turned on a hallway seconds later, being greeted by a bunch of doors with signs in front of them. By the looks of it, the text written on the signs were names.

“These are where the kids sleep.” Jaehyun said from up front, keeping his voice low.

“The two older ones – Jungwoo, the boy from earlier, and Chaeyoung – have their own rooms while the others share a room with another. Jisung is an exception since he rooms with one of the owners of the house.” Jaehyun stopped in front of a door with a sign that says “Chaeyoung” on the door.

  
“Hyung?” he lightly knocked on the door and a low but audible confirmation came from the other side. He slowly turned the knob and gently pushed open the door, revealing what’s on the other side.

“Hold on, I’ll be right out.” Chanyeol whispered as he stood from his chair beside the bed. A girl was sleeping soundly on the said bed, facing where Chanyeol was sitting. Jongin assumes that the girl is Chanyeol’s sister. They might’ve rescued her but Jongin never got the chance to see what she looks like. He’s just assuming.

  
Chanyeol slowly walked towards them, careful not to wake the girl up. He slowly closed the door behind him before he turned to the others.

  
“It was hard to answer all her questions.” Chanyeol said to no one in particular before he turned to them.

  
“They’re going to get their clothes changed. I assumed you want a change of clothes, too.” Jaehyun said, looking at the taller. Chanyeol nodded and they turned back, going to the other direction of the hallway.

  
“What about Kyungsoo and Yixing?” Junmyeon asked from behind, her voice low. “Don’t you think they want a change of clothes, too?”

  
“I’m thinking that they’re asleep, actually. Yixing-hyung was exhausting himself and his ability up to only an hour ago, so I think it would be better not to wake him up. Noona probably doesn’t want to leave Jisung alone, too. Either those, or they already changed. I’ll bring them clothes later, just in case. By that time, Youngho-hyung’s probably here already.” Jaehyun explained, leading them up to a door by the end of the hallway.

  
“This is where the gentlemen will be staying.” he said opened the door with no signs on it.

“There’s two walk-in closets on the corner of the room. Feel free to use anything inside. The owners of the house are always prepared for guests, so it’s fully stocked with fresh clothes. This is the room they always lend to people. Don’t worry, though, whatever you use, it’s already yours.”

“How about noona?” Jongin asked, looking at Junmyeon at the back.

“She will take this door.” Jaehyun opened the door right across the room where Jongin and the other guys were currently staying at. “It’s the same as the gentlemen’s room; two walk-in closets at the corner. Only, the clothes are for girls.”

“Thank you.” Junmyeon said, stepping inside of her own room.

  
“I’ll be back in an hour.” Jaehyun said, looking at his watch. “Jisung’s probably awake by then.” He said and walked away after a slight bow directed towards Jongin and the others and another one towards Junmyeon.

“See you in a bit.” Junmyeon smiled at the guys before she gently closed the door of her room. Jongin did the same with the gentlemen’s door.

“Alright, let’s get changed, then.” Baekhyun said from the middle of the room as he turned to them.

True to his word, Jaehyun came knocking on their door an hour later. They were already dressed in comfortable casual clothes and they were all ready to go out of the room by the time he came. Through the one hour that they stayed inside, no one talked, except for when they needed to ask someone’s opinion on their choice of clothing. Jongin found it odd that both Baekhyun and Chanyeol were staying quiet – a little too quiet for Jongin’s taste. Other than literal small talk, no one attempted to talk to each other. They all just stayed in their own corner, not looking at anybody, after they were done showering and dressing themselves up. Jongin was the one who opened the door when Jaehyun came knocking.

  
“Youngho-hyung just arrived.” Jaehyun said when he saw Jongin. Slowly, everyone filed out of the room, flocking into the hallway. Junmyeon was already in the hallway when Jongin opened the door, dressed in simple jeans, a blouse. Yixing was also there, also changed out of his laboratory uniform and wearing black jeans and a button up shirt.  
At least they weren’t looking like runaway patients anymore, Jongin thought.

  
“Should we get Kyungsoo?” Junmyeon asked as they started walking towards the direction of the stairs.

  
“We gave her a change of clothes right before I came to get you. Taeyong-noona’s with her. She said we can start while she gets ready.” Jaehyun answered, stepping down the stairs. At the bottom, Jongin saw Johnny, Kun and Doyoung sitting on one of the many couches that they occupied an hour ago. Jongin and the others sat down on the couch opposite of where the three were sitting. Jaehyun chose to stand up by the wall, occasionally glancing out of the window through the sides of shut curtains.

  
Tense atmosphere was felt around them.  
“How are you, Johnny?” Junmyeon was the first to break the tense silence. Jongin could feel the weight slightly lifting just from her simple question.

  
“I’m fine, thank you.” Johnny bowed his head a bit, looking at Junmyeon.

  
“I’m sorry for everything.” he said, laying his hands on top of his knees.

  
“For what?” Junmyeon asked, lightly smiling.

“I caused you to be captured. I’m sorry.” Johnny looked down on his knees, guilt written on his face.

  
“We didn’t know it would happen so it’s alright.” Junmyeon said, earning a side glance from her counterpart. Jongin unconsciously raised a brow. There was tense silence around them again, a bit heavier than the silence a minute ago.

  
“Those guys that took you,” Johnny started. “they weren’t SWAT teams.”

  
“Yeah, we figured that much, too.” Jongdae said from the end of the couch.

  
“After they took you, I had Kun follow the government’s every track but he couldn’t find their trace as to where they confined you. The minute the trackers on your earnings stopped beeping was the moment he lost you.” Johnny explained, still not looking at them. “You and the SWAT teams disappeared off of the map after you got caught. Chaeyoung was dropped off at an orphanage, which was why we concluded that they were actual government teams set to clear you out.”

  
“That would make sense since if they really were SWAT teams, they would’ve taken her to home base and grilled her with question. Dropping her off just made them obvious. They probably thought they didn’t have any use for her anymore. They’re more stupid that I thought.” Minseok hummed from beside Junmyeon. He whispered the last bits to himself, though. There was a side glance from Chanyeol but no one except Jongin noticed it.

  
“I have a question.” Junmyeon raised his hand from his seat. “When we were at the facility that took us, they said something about doing things to get our attentions. What did they do, exactly?” Jongin watched as Johnny’s face turned dark for a moment before he sighed.

  
“Doyoung, please get Mark and Yang Yang.” The younger said to Doyoung, who immediately stood up from his seat. Jongin felt Minseok stiffen behind him. “Tell them that they’ll just appear in front of the Guardians. They don’t have to say anything. I just want them to be present, even for a brief moment.”

  
“And Chaeyoung, too, please.” Chanyeol piped, making Jongin turn to him with a raised brow. “I know that she’s part of this, too.” Chanyeol simply said, not looking at any of them except at Doyoung.

  
“Alright.” The younger nodded, walking up the stairs. Seconds later, a door was heard opening and then closing a minute later before Doyoung appeared from the same spot Jaehyun was in, earlier that morning.

“She’ll be out after a change.” The younger said, looking down at them. He proceeded to go down the stairs and towards the back door.

  
“While he gets them, I’ll start explaining why.” Johnny said, straightening himself. “A few years ago, we started tracking people with abilities down to get them to join NEO City. It was when we gave up our house and it was opened up for children with abilities; it was also the time we moved back to Chicago after being here for almost eight years.” Jongin leaned forwards to listen more.

  
“As you all know, Taeyong has an ability but she can’t freely use it. Years ago, she lived under one roof with her brother and three of their cousins: Jeno, Donghyuk and Mark. Oddly, all five of them has abilities. It’s the reason why we always kept an eye on their family. Her brother keeps his ability in check while the younger three practiced theirs. Taeyong was the only one who’s abilities won’t come out at will. Until now, we don’t know when it will come out, but it’s there.”

“A family with abilities, huh?” Minseok muttered from his seat beside Jongin.

“At the young age of three, Mark has already manifested signs of having an ability – he was the earliest among them, and he’s also the earliest among the kids. He’s a special kid. Everyone could see it, like as if a neon sign was glowing above his head. Taeyong’s brother trained him how to use his ability until Mark reached the age of twelve.” Johnny explained, looking at them. “That’s when he disappeared.”

  
“Like, disappeared as in poof, he’s gone?” Jongin asked, raising his hands in front of him and made a gesture that looked like something exploded.

  
“Yes. Since we monitored them often, and since I’m close with Taeyong, we knew about Mark’s disappearance immediately. Me, being the dumb eighteen-year-old boy I was back then, rushed to find him on my own.” Johnny answered with a sigh. “I tracked him down in Vancouver three month after his disappearance.”

  
“And his stupid eighteen-year-old butt almost got himself killed, along with the person he was supposed to save, because he blindly ran inside the warehouse Mark was being confined in.”

  
Everyone looked towards the stairs and saw Kyungsoo standing there with a child that has light brown hair and narrow eyes and full lips just like Kyungsoo’s. Taeyong was there behind them, standing with a smile. Jongin watched as Kyungsoo kneeled at the child’s level and smiled at him.

  
“Go play with the others outside, okay?” Kyungsoo said in a soothing tone before she kissed the boy’s forehead and the boy ran, happily smiling to himself.

  
“Noona, how are you?” Johnny asked sitting straight.

  
“I’m fine, Youngho, thanks.” Kyungsoo answered with a smile as she stood. Suddenly, footsteps from upstairs were heard. Their gazes turned towards the stairs when they heard someone walking down. Seconds later, a tall girl with long and wavy light brown hair appeared in the corner, looking at all of them.

  
“Uhmm, hi.” She sheepishly waved at them when she saw them all staring at her. Her pale face flushed red in embarrassment.

  
“That’s Chaeyoung.” Chanyeol said, standing up to walk towards the younger girl. “This is my sister.”

  
“Nice to meet you.” Junmyeon said with her trademark smile. The girl smiled back as she bowed.

  
“Nice to meet you, too.” Chaeyoung said, turning to her brother. “Why do I need to be here, again? I think you’re all having a serious discussion.”

  
“It’s alright, Chaeyoung.” Johnny said, turning to her. “We’re explaining the situation for a bit.”

  
“Alright.” The younger girl said as she sat down on one of the arm chairs present inside the room.

  
“Hyung?” someone called from the hallway towards the backyard. Jongin turned his head towards the direction of the voice and saw two boys from earlier were standing at the side with Doyoung behind them. Jongin assumes that they are the ones Johnny called Mark and Yang Yang.

  
“Yang Yang, what are you doing here?” Minseok asked, suddenly standing up.

“Hyung?!” the younger one of the two boys suddenly stood up straight. “Minseok-hyung?! I couldn’t recognize you earlier!”

“You know each other?” Junmyeon asked, looking up at her counterpart.

  
“Yeah. Back when I stayed in Berlin, I met his mother a lot.” Minseok’s voice trailed off when he mentioned the boy’s mother. A look of realization suddenly covered Jongin’s face when he turned to look at the boy and saw him getting comforted by the older boy.

“I’m sorry, Yang Yang.” Minseok said, stepping towards the younger boy.

“It’s alright.” The boy stiffed, smiling at Minseok.

“Why don’t you guys sit down?” Kun said as he stood to give up his seat to Taeyong and Kyungsoo. The two boys sat on the carpet, facing Jongin and the others. Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun remained standing by the window while Chanyeol stood behind his sister’s chair.

  
“Going back, Mark was captured by what we called ’bounty hunters’ back then. Of course, that name was dropped after they found out that they were the ones that took him.” Johnny said after clearing his throat.

“By them, you mean the Red Force, right?” Jongdae asked, looking at Johnny.

“Yes.” Johnny nodded. “They tortured Mark for months, trying to get information as to where the Guardians were. The only problem was: Mark didn’t know about the guardians yet at that time. I got to him before they could kill him.

  
Yang Yang was next. Since he lived alone with his mom and dad, they easily made an accident that killed his parents and took him. Apparently, they found out that Yang Yang has come in contact with one of the Guardians and they tried to get information out from him, but he was a child; he didn’t know who the Guardians were. Kun was sent to fetch him from Berlin, but he, too, got captured in Minseok-hyung’s old apartment.”

“So, those were because of me, wasn’t it?” Minseok asked, looking down.

“It wasn’t your fault, hyung.” Yang Yang said from his seat on the floor. “You didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

“Yes, no one knew.” Johnny nodded. “The reason why we moved our search for gifted people worldwide was because Mark was already the second victim of the torture, making Yang Yang the third.”

“I was the first.” Doyoung said from the side. “The Red Force failed to capture me because of my brother. We got gunned down, instead. I never learned why they wanted me in the first place, I haven’t had any contact with any of you in the past.”

Johnny nodded. “Chaeyoung was the fourth, the only person with no abilities to be taken, and obviously, they succeeded in making her bait. Chanyeol-huyng was supposed to be captured during the race, but he got away even before he was spotted. The Red Force used Seventeen Carats as their scapegoat to get an opportunity. Obviously, they failed, so they initiated plan B and the fake SWAT teams were released. After Chaeyoung, there was no more.”

“Because we already took their bait, right?” Baekhyun spoke for the first time in a long time. “That’s why they stopped; because they already succeeded.”

“Correct.” Johnny answered. “We searched for you ever since the day you all disappeared from that warehouse. We tracked and watched people who we know are related to the Red Force, but literally all of them went off the grid after you disappeared. No one has showed up in the open for two years. We kept searching for you and for them. We didn’t know you literally haven’t left the country and we even went worldwide.”

The front door suddenly slammed open.

“Could you please stop talking about this for a moment and help me with the kids’ food?”  
Everyone’s heads turned towards the front door and saw a man standing there with thin eyes. His indifferent expression almost rivaled against Kyungsoo’s own. His skin was deathly pale, it was scarily paler than Junmyeon’s own complexion, and in his arms, he was holding a bunch of paper bags and cloth bags that were full to the brim with things – probably food. Behind him, there were also bunch of boxes on the floor.  
Jaehyun, Doyoung and Kun immediately left their posts to help the man carry the things. Kyungsoo, surprisingly, also went towards him and took one of the paper bags in his arms.

“You didn’t change at all.” She said indifferently, standing beside the man.

“Excuse you, you’re the one who disappeared for two years – which, by the way, I haven’t forgiven you for, yet – and came back still looking the literally same.” The man asked, tone light but his voice was a bit monotone. Jongin squinted at the man, realizing that he kind of looks like one of the two boys he kept seeing in the pictures around the house.

“Anyway, I better not see the house dirty, Mi. Or else, I’ll be kicking you all out of my house.” The man said, glaring at all of them.

“This is your house?” Baekhyun suddenly piped from the couch and made the man look at him.

“Yes, my house, and frankly, I only allowed the kids to be here and not you. Youngho and the others, I understand, but you on the other hand, I don’t even know you.” The man said bluntly, his expression remaining the same as he practically insulted Jongin and the others.

  
“Most of them are still older than you, Gi. Show some respect.” Kyungsoo flicked the man in the forehead before he turned towards Jongin and the others. “He’s my age so you can call him anything you want. Call him an asshole, too, he wouldn’t mind.”

  
“Hey!”

  
“I thought you said that they are always ready for guests?” Jongin asked Jaehyun as he raised a brow. The way the man of the house was acting, he seemed like the type to not let people inside his house at all.

  
“They are.” Jaehyun simply replied, sounding not bothered by the scene unfolding. “The Min family is known for it, actually. Yoongi-hyung is just grumpy since he woke up to Kyungsoo-noona on his face this morning. Both of them had a cursing party for over an hour, too. It was quite entertaining.”

  
“Please don’t say it like that. It sounds weird.” Kyungsoo said, rolling her eyes.

  
“So, I take it that your name is Min Yoongi, then?” Baekhyun asked, standing up while he crossed his arms over his chest.

  
“Yeah, and?” the man raised a brow, earning a jab from Kyungsoo’s elbow. “Ouch! Mi! That hurts, you know!” He hissed, holding his side.

“Alright, let’s start over.” Kyungsoo sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. She gestured at the man beside her.

  
“This is Min Yoongi, he owns the house – which, I might remind you again, Yoongi, that I own, too. We’re staying here for a while to get things settled.”

  
“Sometimes, I hate you, Kyungmi.” Yoongi grumbled, his – already narrow eyes – turning into accusing slits.

“Wait, ‘Kyungmi’?” Chanyeol’s brows furrowed. “But, you’re ‘Kyungsoo’ right?”

  
“Didn’t I tell you that my other name is ‘Min Kyungmi’?” Kyungsoo said, looking at all of them, her eyes wider than usual.

  
“Yes, and this is our house; the Min Household. This is Jisung’s family home.” Yoongi said, smirking at all of them.

  
Minseok, Junmyeon, Yixing, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Jongin and Sehun stared at the pair with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth.

  
“What the fuck?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright
> 
> NEXT UP: "So, where do you want to start?" she asked. "From the beginning, Kyungsoo." they answer. He just listens. [Part 2]


	33. YIXING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confusing stuff ahead...

Junmyeon stared hard at Kyungsoo and the man.

“Unnie, this the first time I’ve heard you curse.” Kyungsoo said, eyes wider than usual. Junmyeon’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, but no other words except for “What the fuck?” came out.

“Someone, please knock me out.” Jongdae whined as he fell back on the couch, his eyes closing shut.

“I’m going to process this, hold on.” Junmyeon stood from her seat and paced around, biting her nails.

Yixing thought it was an understandable reaction since they had just escaped a laboratory that kept them captive for almost two years and when they came back to society, the first thing the learned is that Kyungsoo is a _mother_.

_A mother!_

If Yixing didn’t know better, he would’ve reacted the same.

But he did know better so he just stayed quiet.

“Mommy!”

Junmyeon stopped in her pacing. All of them stopped at what they were doing to look at the child that appeared in the hallway and watched as he ran past them, jumping up to hug Kyungsoo and the guy – Yoongi – at the same time. It was the same child that Baekhyun almost ran over when they arrived at the neighborhood.

Kyungsoo’s son, Jisung.

“Hey there, kiddo.” Yoongi bent over to ruffle the boy’s light hair. Seeing the two of them side by side, Yixing realized that Yoongi and Jisung has the same narrow eyes. The child also has the same full lips as Kyungsoo’s own. He looked like the perfect combination between the Yoongi and Kyungsoo. Yixing frowned for a bit.

“I thought it was a dream, but Mommy’s here!” Jisung happily chirped, smiling up at Kyungsoo. Yixing couldn’t help but coo and his adorableness.

“Can someone please fill me in?!” Jongdae called from his seat, a pillow over his face as he dramatically sighed.

“Yeah, I kind of need someone to tell me what’s going on, too. I don’t care if you suffocate, by the way.” Baekhyun knocked hard on the pillow and caused Jongdae to sit properly and remove the pillow with a yell. Yixing sighed. They were acting as if they didn’t just escape being experimented on. He turned back at the sight in front of him.

Yixing watched Jisung turn around to face them, immediately flushing in embarrassment when he saw all of them staring at him. Yixing, being Yixing, kneeled on the carpet to become leveled with Jisung’s view, and waved at him.

“Hi, I’m Zhang Yixing.” He greeted, smiling widely. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“’Finally’?” Minseok asked out loud. Yixing turned around and watched as the older raised a brow at him.

“Hi…. I’m Park Jisung.” The boy greeted timidly, shrinking behind Kyungsoo’s and Yoongi’s bodies.

“’Park’?” Baekhyun asked out loud, just like how Minseok did.

“Anyway, what brings you here, Jisungie?” Yoongi crouched in front of the boy, completely ignoring both Minseok’s and Baekhyun’s questions. Yixing felt his counterpart scowl and growl at the shorter male – they were actually around the same height but Baekhyun might actually fight him for calling him short.

“I heard Jaemin-hyung’s tummy growl so I ran to get some food because I thought he was hungry.” Jisung said as he looked up at Yoongi. “But then, I got distracted.” The child sheepishly smiled.

“Well, why don’t you help in cooking, then?” Doyoung – who disappeared along with Jaehyun and Kun to go to the kitchen – appeared and came up to Kyungsoo to get the last paper bag in her arms.

“Can I?!” Jisung happily asked, looking up at Doyoung.

“I can help, too.” Chaeyoung stood from her seat and smiled at her brother before walking towards Doyoung, telling Chanyeol to take her seat.

“Sure, why not? Kun’s already starting.” Doyoung smiled as he escorted Jisung and Chaeyoung out of the living room and away from the – utterly confused – adults. Yixing saw Kyungsoo shoot Doyoung a grateful look before the younger disappeared through the kitchen door with Jisung. Mark and Yang Yang also stood, being ushered back towards the backyard by Jaehyun. Once they were gone, all eyes were on Kyungsoo.

“What the fuck, Soo?” Yixing fully expected Jongdae to be the first to break the ice. And he did. Yixing figured the most betrayed among them was Kyungsoo’s counterpart since none of them knew anything about Kyungsoo’s family.

“So, where do you want to start?” Kyungsoo casually asked as she took her seat beside Taeyong on the couch in front of the rest of them. Yoongi stood by the door after he closed it. He leaned against the wall as he crossed his arms in front of him, silently listening, just like how Doyoung, Kun and Jaehyun did a couple of minutes ago.

“From the start.” Junmyeon calmly replied, sitting back on her chair. Yixing stayed seated cross-legged on the carpet, listening as well.

“Alright, then.” Kyungsoo said before sighing. “Jisung was born five years ago, a year after we separated. Among all of you, the only ones who knew about his existence were Yixing-oppa and Zitao.” Yixing nodded at the mention of his name.

“What? Tao-hyung knew?” Sehun piped from his chair. Kyungsoo nodded and continued.

“I had complications when I was pregnant and I didn’t want other doctors to look into the unnatural behavior of my unborn child so I consulted Yixing-oppa.”

“I was shocked when she told me that she booked me a flight to South Korea. When I arrived, Kyungsoo was significantly larger.” Yixing said, looking at everyone.

“That’s kind of rude.” Minseok commented.

“It was true, though.” Kyungsoo defended Yixing. “He checked up on me regularly and until Jisung was born, he looked after me. But, this is the first time he formally met him.” she said. “After Jisung was born, we agreed that we’d only contact each other when in need of immediate help. Through discrete letters, Yixing-oppa checked up on Jisung, though.”

“Where does Tao-hyung come to the picture?” Sehun asked. Yixing watched the younger’s eyes glisten.

“After a year, I entrusted Jisung in Taeyong’s care.” Kyungsoo looked at the girl sitting right beside her. “It was a tough decision to make but I couldn’t let Jisung stay with me. If something happened and _they_ found me, Jisung would’ve been caught in the crossfire and that’s the last thing I want to happen.” Kyungsoo said with a determined tone.

“That would make sense since Johnny’s a Godfather.” Jongdae said, finally getting quieter. He placed his finger over his chin in thought. “Since he already had resources lined up to protect Taeyong and the kids at all costs, it would’ve been the best choice to leave Jisung in Taeyong’s care.”

“I’m sorry, Johnny is a what?” Yixing heard Sehun ask Jongin. The latter leaned up to the former’s ear and whispered something along the lines of “I’ll fill you in later, Hun.”

“Yes. It’s the reason why I’ve put my life in Johnny’s hands. I trust him with my whole being.” Kyungsoo nodded. “Zitao knew about Jisung because of his nephews.”

“Yukhei, Guan Heng and Ren Jun, right?” Yixing asked, shifting on the carpet. Kyungsoo nodded.

“Once Zitao found out where they were, he visited them often. He got close to the kids because of them. He trained the older kids on how to use their abilities and he patiently watched the younger ones discover their own. It was quite shocking, really.” Kyungsoo smiled. “When I visited Jisung on his second birthday, Zitao was coincidentally there since he knew that one of the kids was celebrating his birthday on that day. He wanted to give them a present. Then I walked inside the house just minutes after he did.” she explained, looking at Yoongi.

“So he learned about you having a child then?” Kyungsoo nodded at Minseok’s question. “And he didn’t tell any of us?”

“I told him not to.” Kyungsoo said, sitting straight. “To be honest, I was surprised he actually listened to me.”

Yixing nodded, thinking about Zitao’s behavior. He did have the tendency to disobey orders. Yixing smiled bitterly on the ground, realizing that he’s never going to see Zitao ever again. He’s going to miss that little flaw of their eternal maknae. More importantly, he’s going to miss Zitao.

There was a second of silence in between all of them before Kyungsoo started again.

“Jisung has been growing well in Taeyong’s care and frankly, I don’t think he’ll ever grow like that if he’s with me.” She smiled bitterly, accepting the comfort Taeyong gave from beside her. “I wish he could’ve, though. I wished something else tied the two of us together other than the fact that we share the same blood.”

“You can be tied by name. Why is Jisung’s last name ‘Park’?” Baekhyun asked, raising a questioning brow. “Why not ‘Min’, like the two of you,” he gestured at Kyungsoo. Yixing didn’t miss the way he glared at Yoongi “or ‘Do’, as in ‘Do Kyungsoo’, or if you wanted something more discrete, why not ‘Lee’, like Taeyong’s? After all, she is taking care of him.” Baekhyun continued.

“I didn’t name him after any of us for a reason.” Kyungsoo looked at them. “It’s because he can’t go around holding my name. ‘Min’ and ‘Do’ aren’t that common of a last name so it’ll be easier to trace him back to me or trace me back to him, or even tracing him to Yoongi, who can be traced back to me. I couldn’t have that. ‘Park’ was the first thing that popped into my mind when I named him. Now, Jisung goes by the name ‘Park Jisung’ instead of ‘Min Jisung’ or ‘Do Jisung’.” she said.

“Wouldn’t he question why his last name in different from his mother’s?” Chanyeol asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.

“He did, actually.” Kyungsoo sighed, looking down with a small smile. “He asked us once when I visited Taeyong’s house in Daejeon with Yoongi.”

“As an excuse, Mi told Jisung that it’s because ‘Park’ is his father’s last name, and that Mi couldn’t carry it with her because of work related stuff.” Yoongi said from the side. “It’s just an excuse, though. Jisung believed it and he didn’t question it from that day on so we didn’t bother to bring it up or change it.”

“What are you all talking about?”

Yixing and everyone else turned to the hallway where the stairs were stationed and saw a man standing there with pale skin and round glasses that hid his dark eyes.

“Hey, hyung.” Yoongi called, looking at the taller male.

“Oppa.” Kyungsoo called right after.

“Hello, everyone.” the tall man greeted with a smile as he walked towards Yoongi, but not without stopping to ruffle Kyungsoo’s hair.

“Hyung, it’s been a while.” Johnny greeted, tipping his head down slightly.

“Nice to see you again, Youngho.” The tall man greeted back with a smile.

“Uhmm, who are you?” Chanyeol asked, utterly confused as he looked at the man.

“My name’s Min Kyunghoon.” The tall man greeted as he bowed. “Nice to meet you all.”

“This is my brother.” Yoongi gestured to the man.

Yixing watched as the rest of the Guardians blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

“What the hell is happening?” Jongdae asked, looking around with a confused expression on his face.

“I’m confused.” Baekhyun called from behind Yixing.

“Me, too.” Jongin said.

“I don’t understand anything.” Sehun grumbled.

“I have no idea what’s happening, right now.” Chanyeol said as he sunk on his chair.

Yixing, Minseok and Junmyeon remained silent. All three of them looked at each other with equally confused eyes. Yixing’s sure that they all have the same question bubbling up in their heads, but no one seemed to be brave enough to ask it.

Junmyeon was the one who broke the ice this time.

“I’m sorry to ask this, but isn’t Yoongi-ssi Jisung’s father?” She finally asked. Sure, Yixing knew that Kyungsoo has a child but he never learned of the man who shares the same blood as Jisung. Kyungsoo never got to the point of telling him.

“I mean, Jisung looks exactly like a fusion between him and Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon said. All three Mins stared back at Junmyeon with equal questioning eyes.

“The three of them are siblings, noona.” Johnny gently said, looking at Junmyeon. Yixing’s eyes widened.

“All…… three of them…. Are siblings….?” he slowly repeated, looking back and forth between Yoongi, Kyunghoon and Kyungsoo. “But I thought….” his head throbbed all of a sudden, due to all the stress.

“I thought the two of you are the same age?” Baekhyun asked, glaring at Yoongi again. The younger just rolled his eyes at him.

“Min Kyunghoon, Min Yoongi, Min Kyungmi.” Kyungsoo said as she gestured to all three of them one by one. “Kyunghoon-oppa and Yoongi are full siblings. I’m only a half.”

A chorus of a long “oh” was heard from the living room.

“We have the same father and our mother got pregnant with Yoongi around the same time Kyungmi’s mother got pregnant with her.” Kyunghoon explained, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Kyungmi was born two months before Yoongi.”

“That’s sick.” Baekhyun muttered under his breath and only Yixing heard his comment.

“We didn’t get our father’s name, instead, our mother gave us hers. The name Min Jihyun might ring the bell.” Kyunghoon said, looking at all of them.

“Wait, Min Jihyun, I’ve heard that somewhere before.” Junmyeon said, her brows knotting together. “Min Finances.” She muttered. “Wait, don’t tell me-,” she suddenly looked up, looking at Kyungsoo.

“Exactly.” Kyungsoo smiled slightly. “The previous CEO of Min Finances, Min Jihyun, is our mother.” She said, gesturing to all three Mins.

“But, I never heard that she got married again. All I heard was that she’s a single mother of two boys.” Junmyeon said with a slightly rising tone. “And I heard that her first born took the CEO position after she….” she suddenly stopped. Yixing glanced back to look at his leader, seeing the shock on her face.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry.” Junmyeon gasped. Yixing looked back at the siblings.

Kyungsoo and Yoongi were looking down on the ground while Kyunghoon has his eyes closed.

“It’s fine.” The oldest smiled, finally opening his eyes. “Yes, she was publicly advertised as a divorcee with two sons. That’s me and Yoongi. The public never got to learn about Kyungmi because we all refused to. I took the position of CEO after she died.”

Silence again.

“There’s another flaw in that news. Our parents never married. Hence, mom wasn’t a divorcee. But, our mother really did love that useless man.” Kyunghoon elbowed Yoongi after what he said, causing him to yelp.

“I hate you all.” Yoongi seethed, before continuing. “Anyway, our mother knew about our father knocking up another woman after she was already pregnant with me. After an incident like that, mom asked our father to leave. He did, after six months. Mom looked for the other woman to have a chat with her, but when she did, found out that Mi’s biological mother didn’t want a child. Mi was almost never born because her biological mother wanted an abortion.”

Yixing stilled, looking at Kyungsoo. She was staring at the ground, fiddling with her fingers. She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t uttering any noise, she wasn’t doing anything aside from playing with her fingers. It scared Yixing for a bit. Taeyong was there, resting a comforting hand over Kyungsoo’s shoulder but other than that, Taeyong looked like she didn’t know what to do.

Yixing watched as Junmyeon stood from her chair and walked towards Kyungsoo, sitting right next to her. She held Kyungsoo’s hands tightly in hers before letting Kyungsoo play with her fingers. Yixing noticed something glimmer between the two women’s hands for a moment before it was gone as soon as it came. Kyungsoo stayed silent but Yixing saw the slight smile on her lips when she glanced at their leader. Yixing sighed in relief. Taeyong seemed to be relieved as well but she didn’t let go of Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“When our mother found out about Mi’s mother wanting to drop her, she reached out to her despite not knowing her. She gave her the pep talk of the century. Later, our mother found out that she decided to keep Mi so she felt relieved. It didn’t last though, because when Mi’s mother gave birth, she left her inside a box in an alleyway near the hospital.” Kyunghoon explained, cautiously looking at Kyungsoo.

“That’s when Jae-eomma found you, right?” Yixing glanced at the girl sitting in front of him and saw Kyungsoo nod.

“Before our mother could, Kim Jaeyoung got to her first.” Kyunghoon said, looking outside the window. “It was good, though. Better that her dying in that alleyway.”

“’Do Kyungsoo’ was embroidered on the cloth I was wrapped in.” Kyungsoo suddenly spoke in a soft voice. “When my mother and theirs met, when Yoongi and I were still in the womb, Kyunghoon-oppa was six at that time. He said something that made my mother stop herself from dropping me. He’s the reason I lived. But then, my biological mother realized she couldn’t take care of so she left me, naming me after Kyunghoon-oppa.”

“How did you know out about that?” Yixing asked, sitting straight. “Did you find your birth mother?”

“No, I didn’t.” Kyungsoo shook her head. “A year after I was born, when I was already in Jae-eomma’s care, a letter addressed to Jihyun-eomma came to this house. It contained my original birth certificate and the reason why I was named ‘Do Kyungsoo’. My birth mother told Jihyun-eomma in the letter that when she finds me, she wants her to change my name into ‘Min Kyungmi’. I don’t know why but that’s what she said in the letter. Jihyun-eomma followed the request when I was found by Johhny’s father back in 2012. I never met my biological mother. No one found her, not even Kun or Johnny.”

“So that’s why you have two names.” Jogndae said as he leaned back, thinking deeply once again. “But why does Jisung look like you, though?” Jogndae pointed at Yoongi.

“Genetics is a weird concept.” Yoongi shrugged, his indifferent expression covering his face once again. He looked just like Kyungsoo and Jisung.

“Alright, now that we’ve cleared that you two are siblings, let’s go back to Jisung’s father.” Baekhun crushed the light atmosphere with one sentence. “Who is he, exactly?”

Johnny looked down on the ground.

Taeyong looked away from all of them.

Kyungsoo stared at her hands.

Yoongi seethed at the wall.

Kyunghoon stayed silent.

“Did I say something wrong?” Baekhyun asked as he looked at the varying expressions on the five people’s faces.

“Jisung’s father is another story.” Kyunghoon said calmly, despite the heavy atmosphere. “He’s not here.” He said.

“Is he dead?” Sehun asked, looking around. Kyungsoo shifted in her seat.

“No, but I really hope he is, though.” Yoongi said sharply, turning to all of them. Kyunghoon jabbed him on the elbow once again. “Ouch! Hyung!”

“Don’t talk like that in front of Mi.” Kyunghoon hissed, barely audible enough for Yixing to hear. Yixing glanced at the three girls sitting in front of him and saw that Kyungsoo was keeping her head low, as if she wanted herself to disappear.

“Seriously, Mi?” Yoongi asked, his voice raising. “What the hell?”

“That’s none of your business, Yoongi.” Kyungsoo snapped, her retort clearly audible for everyone in the living room.

“Why, what happened between her and Jisung’s father?” Yixing swears he will stitch Baekhyun’s lips together one day. Even though he’s his counterpart, Yixing is also slowly starting to get fed up with Baekhyun’s incessant questioning.

“He left, that’s what he did.” Yoongi replied sharply, visibly getting angry. Everyone was silent, shocked at Yoongi’s outburst. Even Taeyong and Johnny looked genuinely shocked.

“He was worse than our father. Jisung’s is a scum! He acted as though he didn’t even remember being in a relationship with her at all!”

“That’s enough!”

Yoongi fell silent immediately.

The tense atmosphere just doubled at Kyunghoon’s command. Yixing was sure Kyungsoo was going to burst at any moment – whether she’s going to cry or she’s going to scream in anger, Yixing doesn’t know. Yoongi stayed silent, bowing his head low, his angry gaze fixated on the floor. Kyunghoon was still standing beside him, his eyes closed, his arms still crossed over his chest.

“I get that you don’t like him, Gi, but don’t talk about him like you know him. You’ve literally met him once, that’s not enough to judge him. Even I don’t know what he’s really like.” Kyunghoon said slowly. “Kyungmi is the only one who can talk to him like that, and considering the fact that she never badmouths him and she never says anything bad about him to Jisung, he’s not what you think he is.”

“Twice.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve met him twice.”

“Yoongi, what did you do?” Kyungsoo suddenly asked as she whipped her head up to look at her brothers. There was evident shock written on her face. “You told me that you’ve met him only once.”

“I visited him at the hospital.” Yoongi said with a smug look on his face. The look of horror on Kyungsoo’s face was evident. “You thought you could hide that little fact from me, didn’t you, Kyungmi?”

“What. Did. You. Do?” Kyungsoo asked through gritted teeth and with narrowed eyes. Yixing saw that she was already holding Junmyeon’s hand in a death grip, but Junmyeon wasn’t saying anything about it. She was just looking in between Kyungsoo and Yoongi.

“I did nothing.” Yoongi innocently raised his hands in the air.

“Gi, what did you do?” Kyunghoon threateningly narrowed his eyes at Yoongi. The younger seemed to be hesitant when he was under the gaze of his siblings. He took a second before he finally spoke.

“I may or may not have tried to pull on his plug.”

“You, WHAT?!” Kyungsoo yelled, standing up from her seat and letting go of Junmyeon’s hand. She looked red in the face as anger slowly crept up her system.

“Why the hell would you do that?!” Kyunghoon asked loudly, his demeanor shattering.

“Why?” Yoongi whispered as narrowed his eyes, his gaze accusing. “Why?!” he repeated, this time, in a much louder voice.

“He _left_ her, hyung!” he yelled looked up at his older brother. Yixing could see the rage in his eyes. He was starting to feel uncomfortable witnessing the three siblings fight.

“He didn’t even hear her out!” Yoongi yelled.

“That was my fault!” Kyungsoo suddenly stepped forwards from her seat and looked at her siblings. “I didn’t speak to him, therefore, the fault is mine!”

“Don’t try putting the blame on yourself like you always do, Kyungmi!”

“But it really is my fault!”

“But-,”

“Can we drop the subject, please?”

Yixing stared at Kyungsoo’s face. She looked like she was pleading inside and Yixing could feel it. It was the first time she asked for something that she sounded like she genuinely wanted to happen. From the looks on Taeyong’s and Johnny’s faces, Yixing figured that they were thinking of the same thing. The same goes for the expression in Yoongi’s and Kyunghoon’s faces.

“I’m…… I’m sorry.” Yixing was surprised Yoongi backed away. He looked like he was the type to keep fighting for what he believed was right.

The silence around them was tenser than anything that Yixing has experienced.

“Alright!” Johnny startled all of them with his loud voice. “Why don’t we all chill and relax for a moment while processing everything that we’ve heard today in peace?” he suggested, standing up.

“You can explore the house, if you want. Just be mindful of the rooms that belongs to the kids. They tend to get grumpy when they find out that someone’s looking around in their rooms.” Kyunghoon said, pushing himself away from the wall he was leaning in.

“We’ll call you when the food is ready.” Taeyong said, standing up as well. “I bet everyone is hungry from all that brainwork.” She smiled at them before disappearing through the kitchen door. At the same time, Jisung came running out, immediately latching on to Kyungsoo.

“I’m going out, hyung.” Yoongi said as he grabbed his coat from the rack and went out of the door, closing the wooden slab behind him. The sound of a car exiting the driveway was heard seconds later.

“If you need me, I’ll be with the kids.” Kyungsoo said as she turned around, not looking at anybody. She and Jisung began walking towards the backyard. Jisung was happily smiling at her while Kyungsoo only managed to give a small smile.

“Wait, I need to talk to Yang Yang.” Minseok said, jogging after Kyungsoo. He disappeared through the hallway seconds later.

“I’ll explore the house.” Sehun said as he stood form his seat, walking towards the stairs.

“I’ll come with.” Jongin called as he stood up, too, running after his best friend. They started talking in low voices a second later.

“I will try to get some sleep. Maybe when I wake up, this is all a dream.” Chanyeol said as he pushed himself up from his chair and went up the stairs, following the two maknaes.

“I’ll take a walk.” Jongdae stood and pulled Baekhyun along with him.

“I guess I could use something to clear my mind.” Baekhyun said as he and Jongdae walked out of the front door.

Only Yixing, Kyunghoon, Johnny and Junmyeon were left inside the living room.

“What a nice way to spend the morning of being back, right?” Junmyeon joked, leaning back against the couch that was once cramped and occupied by six people.

“I don’t know if I have it in me to laugh anymore.” Yixing said as he collapsed on the carpet. “This is more tiring than running around in the maze. Imagine, learning all this right when you reappeared after two years of disappearance.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Kyunghoon said as he walked next to Johnny. “What happened when you all disappeared?”

“I wanted to ask about it, too.” Johnny said, looking at Junmyeon and Yixing.

“It’s a long story.” Yixing said, looking up at the taller men.

“That’s fine.” Both Kyunghoon and Johnny sat on the couch, both of them looking determined.

“It’s way longer than what we’ve discussed this morning.” Junmyeon warned, sitting up properly. “ _Way_ longer.”

“We have all day, don’t we?”

Yixing and Junmyeon sighed.

“I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live for Drama because I'm literally doing nothing during Quarantine
> 
> NEXT UP: They walk around the house, and into the forest in silence. Later they talk. One thinks about what he'll do in the future, the other thinks that he's delusional for thinking that way. Another joins and calls facts. Ironically, all of them are not wrong.


	34. JONGDAE

Jongdae sighed at himself to calm down.

He wasn’t prepared for what he just heard and he wasn’t prepared for anything happening immediately after the moment they escaped from that, godforsaken, maze – really, he didn’t mind the maze at all, what he couldn’t stand were multiple people running around. He expected to have a warm welcome, he wanted to relax and not do anything, maybe he could even pull a prank on Baekhyun or Chanyeol, or something of the sort, but with what has happened, he didn’t expect anything at all.

Who would’ve expected Kyungsoo to have a child? Literally no one, right?  
After that long talk inside the house, Jongdae decided that it was time he took a walk outside, dragging Baekhyun along with him. Really, he wanted to be alone but he figured the best company would be Baekhyun since, due to their current situation, he knew the slightly older male wouldn’t talk to him unless he initiated it or unless Jongdae was doing something stupid.

“Where are we even going?” Baekhyun suddenly asked from behind Jongdae, clearly unamused. “We look kind of lost, to be honest.” He continued.

“We’re not. We’re just walking around the house. You can literally see the outline of the room over there.” Jongdae reassured the slightly older male as he pointed at his left. He looked around and smiled at the bright sky. When they had arrived earlier, it was still beginning to light up so Jongdae didn’t see the sun so he’s happy he could see it now after a long time of being kept in the dark.  
“What’s gotten you so happy?” Baekhyun slightly raised his tone a bit.

“Nothing.” Jongdae answered with a grin even though Baekhyun couldn’t see him. “Just…. Nothing.” He said, enjoying his sunlight.

“I don’t like the sound of that at all.” Even though he was behind him, Jongdae could feel the older shake his head.

They walked in comfortable silence, slowly making their way through the forest. The dead leaves under them gave off an oddly satisfying crunch every time they stepped forwards. All of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, Jongdae had the urge to yell.

“Yah!” he yelled, startling Baekhyun. Jongdae grinned again.

“I want to sleep again!” he screamed at the empty forest.

“You just woke up and that’s the first thing you say?” Baekhyun raised a brow as he stepped beside him. “Have even the least bit of gratitude, will you?”

“And I really, really want to kill someone!” Jongdae yelled, well aware that they were the only ones in the vicinity and that absolutely no one would hear them. The house was a good distance away so Jongdae’s sure that no one will hear him screaming.

“I hope it’s not me.”

“I want to strangle someone named Byun Baekhyun!!”

“Oh my god.”

Jongdae snickered at the older male behind him, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. He really looked frustrated. Jongdae kind of likes it. Baekhyun was suddenly grumbling at him.

“Please shut up. You sound like him.” the older said.

“Who’s him?”

“Never mind.”

Tiny, very tiny, voices suddenly invaded Jongdae’s ears. He turned, slowly walking towards the voices. Baekhyun called for his name for a couple of times but he ignored him. Soon, the slightly older male was following from behind, still grumbling under his breath. They both stopped when they saw tiny figures running round in an open field. Even from that distance, he recognized all the faces that he came across at. A familiar face caught his attention.

Jongdae stared hard at his counterpart and her child.

“Staring at her like that isn’t going to change anything.” Baekhyun said beside him as he also looked at the children playing in the vast backyard of the Min Household. Both he and Baekhyun were being concealed by the trees as they continued looking. Both of them were seeing were the kids originally being housed under Taeyong’s roof. 

It still baffles Jongdae why Taeyong adopts so many kids. Technically, she didn’t adopt them; she just takes care of them, but still, it’s kind of like she adopted them all (except for her relatives, of course). Well, it would make sense if one knows that all the kids have abilities, but outside from that knowledge, Jongdae doesn’t know what Taeyong tells people if they asked her why she and her business partner have so many kids. He hasn’t seen her partner, yet, and Jongdae doubts that he ever will. They don’t even mention him much in front of Jongdae and the others, yet – “We literally just met them, Jongdae.” Baekhyun said to him. He’s sure that Kyungsoo knows about Taeyong’s partner and that she’s keeping quiet about him. The reason, Jongdae doesn’t know why.

“She looks happy.” Jongdae said softly, his hands going inside his pockets. He watched as his counterpart sat on the small bench that was at the center of the backyard, watching her child and his friends run around endlessly. Really, Jongdae didn’t know what made it so amusing for parents to watch children run. He didn’t know since he’s not a parent. It wouldn’t be bad if he was, though. “It would be fun!” he said to himself.

Minseok was also there, too, standing by the backdoor, watching all of them from behind with his unusually sharper eyes. Jongdae saw that he was talking to one of the kids – he thinks the kid’s name is Yang Yang – a little while ago before the kid ran off with a smile on his face. Jongdae briefly caught Minseok’s gaze but the older either didn’t or pretended not to see him. Jongdae’s not sure.

“At least we have information on her family and as to how she met Johnny. Her wholse story is a wreck.” Jongdae said after hearing no reply from the man beside him. “I never liked that Johnny-guy. He and those under him. He’s useful, yes, but literally everything about him is off.”

“Aside from Kyungsoo, his underlings and probably Junmyeon-noona, who do you think does like him?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“And besides, we already got a bit of information about him. Remember whe-,”

Jongdae and Baekhyun stopped talking when they heard leaves crunch from afar. The rapid footsteps became louder and louder until Jongdae finally figured out where they were coming from. A kid suddenly ran up to them, looking up at them like he was about to ask something. The child was around higher than Jongdae’s stomach but if the kid were to stand up properly, he could’ve easily passed Jongdae’s chest. The kid stared at them for quite some time, all three of them not uttering a single word.

“Who are you?” the kid asked, pointing at both of them. He frowned for a bit before he tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. Neither Jongdae nor Baekhyun answered. They just stared at the kid. Jongdae was a bit baffled. Baekhyun, though, Jongdae’s not sure.

“Chenle, where are you?” Kyungsoo’s voice invaded the silence that was wrapped around them. Jongdae sighed for a moment before he turned to the kid, lightly crouching to get to his level.

“I’m Jongdae, this is Baekhyun.” He said, finally introducing both of them. “I assume that your name is Chenle?”

“Yep!” the kid grinned at them before he looked up. “You’re Kyungsoo-noona’s friends, right?” he slowly asked, tipping his head.

“Yes, we are. So what?” Baekhyun answered, slightly glaring at the kid. Jongdae jabbed his side. The slightly older male gave out a hiss before turning his glare at Jongdae.

“Be nice. He’s a kid.”

“You look like a bad guy.” Chenle suddenly pointed at Baekhyun. He narrowed his eyes again, her brows creasing in the middle of his forehead.

“Trust me, he is.” Jongdae smirked at Baekhyun as he turned to the older male.

“You’re probably not, right?” Chenle tilted his innocent little head to the side. “Because Kyungsoo-noona is very nice and she doesn’t trust people who are bad guys.”

“Of course she doesn’t trust people who aren’t good. You certainly know Kyungsoo very well, huh?” Jongdae smiled at the ten – maybe eleven – year old.

“They said that she visits sometimes and from what I heard from the older kids inside the house, she tells them stories often when she comes to visit Jisung.” Chenle grinned happily. “She didn’t visit in a while, though.” he said, suddenly pouting. “Jeno-hyung said that she even missed Jisung’s fourth and fifth birthdays.”

Jongdae’s brows furrowed at that one.

“But I’m glad she’s here now, though. It’s my first time meeting her and I like her already! She’s so nice!” the child smiled brightly again. “Jisung’s talking and playing with us again, too.”“

Was he looking for her?” Baekhyun asked, suddenly looking a bit friendlier than earlier. The child nodded with a smile.

“He constantly asked about Kyungsoo-noona when she didn’t visit us at Christmas. He even thought that she forgot about him.” Chenle looked down a bit. “But everything’s fine now!” he suddenly smiled again.  
The sounds of footsteps came again.

“There you are!” Kyungsoo gave a very audible sigh of relief when she saw the kid. He raised a brow when she saw Baekhyun and Jongdae, though. “What are you two doing here?” she asked, stepping closer. She was significantly calmer than earlier. Significantly.

“We were walking and somehow, we ended up here.” Jongdae answered, smiling sheepishly. “Anyway, what happened with this kid?” he gestured at the child in front of him.

“They were playing hide and seek and they specifically said that it was forbidden to enter the forest.” Kyungsoo looked at the kid, who smiled sheepishly at her. “But Chenle, here, went and hid in the forest, anyway.”

“Sorry.” Chenle looked down on the ground with a pout. Jongdae saw that he wasn’t sorry at all. In fact, he seemed to be in deep thought. Jongdae thinks if the child is really a child.

“Well, it’s a good thing that we’re here then.” He said as he ruffled the kid’s dark hair. That seemed to snap Chenle from his trance. “But, I think this kid’s not going to get lost, right?” he asked the child.

“I know this woods like the back of my hand! Even though I’ve only been here thrice!” the child proudly said, his thinking expression gone.

“I like this kid.” Jongdae gestured at Chenle. “He’s kind of cute.”

“Hey! I’m turning twelve this November!” Chenle whined.

“Yes, you are, and that means that you’re already old enough to know that rules are rules, Chenle.” Kyungsoo chuckled, gesturing the child to go back to the house. “Now, off you go. Jungwoo’s there waiting for you.”

“Alright!” the child yelled before he sprinted off towards the opening of the forest. Jongdae watched him for a while, looking at the retreating figure slowly that slowly disappeared from his sight.

All three of them stayed silent for a moment.

“Sorry for not telling you.”

Jongdae turned towards the youngest among them. Kyungsoo was looking at him with a small smile, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Like Baekhyun, here, said earlier, it’s not like it would do anything.” Jongdae gave a small smile back. “Besides, I kind of understand your reasons of doing so.”

“If you had a kid, would you have done the same thing as I did?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae knew she was being cautious about what she was saying. It was so obvious, one of the kids might even point it out. Jongdae frowned, that wasn’t like Kyungsoo at all.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” He answered anyways, looking at Baekhyun for a moment – he just stared back at him – before his gaze shifted back to Kyungsoo.

“Well, I guess it’s fruitless trying to get answers from you guys.” Kyungsoo sighed as she stepped back, looking at the back of the house from afar. “Maybe I should ask Taeyong or maybe unnie.”

“I think Taeyong would give the most obvious answers, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun spoke, his tone slightly cold but Jongdae doubts Kyungsoo noticed it at all. The younger hummed, looking deep in thought.

“That’s true.” She muttered to herself but with their setting inside the quiet forest, Jongdae heard Kyungsoo’s words clearly. Kyungsoo suddenly turned to both Jongdae and Baekhyun.

“Sorry about Yoongi, by the way.” Kyungsoo smiled again – a very rare occurrence, even for Jongdae. “He’s usually just as quiet as me and Minseok-oppa but when it came to Jisung and the kids he’s just as talkative as Junmyeon-unnie.”

“And when it came to Jisung in particular, he acts like a security guard with a chief guard dog.” Baekhyun commented, earning a sneer from Jongdae.

“I hate to say it, but that’s kind of accurate.” Kyungsoo said, her eyes wider than usual as she looked at Baekhyun.

“That’s quite nice of him.” Jongdae commented, ignoring the eyebrow raise he got from Baekhyun.

“Well, even though we’re half siblings, he’s still my brother, after all.” Kyungsoo slightly chuckled. “Kyunghoon-oppa is usually the talkative one out of the three of us but he and Yoongi tend to dramatically switch roles when Jisung is involved.”

“Honestly, you and Yoongi really act the same. You also look the same. Except for the eyes.” Jongdae sighed, shaking his head a little. “Even Jisung looks like you two, with the eyes and the complexion and the lips and everything.”

“Yoongi looks like our father, Jihyun-eomma said,” Kyungsoo smiled. “and I look like him and my birth mother. Kyunghoon-oppa shares both their parents’ features. For Yoongi, he has the same narrow eyes as our father.” She continued. “Jisung got it from our father, too. It’s like: what look my father didn’t give me, I gave to Jisung.” Jongdae hummed.

“Is that why your brother acts like a father around him?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Because he wants to give Jisung the fatherly affection his own never gave him?”  
Jongdae almost vomited. He hates saying those words. They just sound so icky when it came from him.

“Kind of; yeah.” Kyugsoo answered, shrugging her shoulders. “He kind of feels that he has the obligation to protect Jisung at all costs.”

“He’s the family guard dog, then.” Baekhyun muttered.

Thank god Jongdae was the only one who heard that!

Jongdae proceeded to jab Baekhyun on the ribs again.

Only this time, he used his finger to dig on the spaces between Baekhyun’s ribs.

Baekhyun gave out another loud yelp.  
“Will you stop that?!”

“Will you stop being annoying?!”

“Will the two of you stop whispering to each other like I’m not here?”

Jongdae snapped his head towards Kyungsoo and saw her still standing there with a raised brow. Her arms were still crossed over her chest.

“Honestly, I don’t get the two of you at all.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m going back before Yukhei climbs another tree that he can’t climb down from.” She turned on her heals and started walking away.

“Isn’t he, like, 180 centimeters or something? Maybe a bit shorter?” Baekhyun asked before he hissed at the pressure coming from one side of his ribcage. Jongdae snickered at the side.

“Exactly.” Kyungsoo looked over her shoulder. “Imagine Chanyeol in a tree, Baekhyun. Imagine him in a tree.” She simply said and proceeded to walk back to the house, still muttering indecipherable words under her breath. Jongdae caught something along the lines of “First, casual talk, then the next, they’re fighting.”

Suddenly, Jongdae could see a vivid picture of their giant up in a tree with no means of going down.

“That looks kind of pathetic.” Jongdae said to himself, still imagining while looking at the nearest tree.

“What are you talking about?” Baekhyun asked, only to hiss again. Jongdae snickered when he looked at the older male clutching his sides. “If these bruises, I swear, I’m going to kill you.” He sneered at Jongdae.

“Try, sure. Be my guest.” Jongdae glared back, not in the mood for any more fighting at the moment. He was thinking.

The atmosphere around them suddenly dramatically shifted down when they heard someone laugh in dolphin. Baekhyun suddenly closed in next to Jongdae. There goes his thought.

“You saw the look on that kid’s face when he was here, right?” Baekhyun whispered in his ear, looking precisely at what Jongdae was looking at. Jongdae nodded, brows furrowing together.

“Yeah, he was thinking really hard.” He said as he stared at the kid – Chenle – run, trying to chase Jisung around. The kid stopped running when he caught Jongdae’s gaze – which shocked Jongdae because they were a good distance away from the backyard of the house and it didn’t make sense at all that Chenle could actually see Jongdae. He stared back just as hard as Jongdae was staring, the smile on his face gone as if it was never there. Feeling a sudden chill run up his spine, Jongdae immediately turned and pulled Baekhyun back to where he thinks the front of the house was.

“That kid creeps me out.” he hissed, not knowing why he was shivering.

“Let’s go back inside.” Baekhyun said, lightly pulling on his arm. Jongdae let go of the other man’s wrist and slowed his pace while thinking. Baekhyun followed along with him.

“If you were Kyungsoo, would you have done it?” Jongdae suddenly found himself asking. Baekhyun raised a brow at him.

“What are you going on about?” Baekhyun asked.

“About Jisung.” Jongdae replied.

“Why would I even have kids?” the older raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest as he walked next to Jongdae.

“I mean; it’s not impossible.” Jongdae looked beside him, meeting Baekhyun’s eyes.

“You’re delusional.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he sighed. “Come on.” He said, pulling Jongdae to make him go faster.

“Fine.” The younger sighed. When they got inside, they saw Junmyeon and Yixing still sitting together in front of Johnny and Kyunghoon. They looked immersed in their talk and by the sound of it, and from what Jongdae could hear, they were talking about their time in the laboratory.

“Let’s go check on Chanyeol.” Baekhyun lightly pulled on Jongdae’s arm and led him towards the second floor.

“Seriously, this house is way too big.” Baekhyun commented as they walked up the stairs, both of them looking around to look at the same paintings and portraits they passed by earlier that day.

“I guess Kyungsoo and her brothers are just as wealthy as Johnny. Is this what the house of a CEO looks like?” Jongdae replied, looking around as well. “It’s odd that you don’t see a picture of Kyungsoo, though.” he said.

“I think it’s for safety purposes.” The older said from beside him. “It’s like what she did with Jisung. She removed all her traces of being related to protect them.”

“It doesn’t make sense, though.” Jongdae huffed. “If she wants to erase herself form their lives, why does she still spend time with them?” he asked, highly doubting that Baekhyun had the answer for his question.

“That’s what I’m thinking about, too.” Baekhyun admitted. “If it were me, I would’ve vanished from the face of the earth.”

“Yeah, same here.” Jongdae agreed.

“Well, we’re not Kyungsoo, or Kyungmi, or her,” Baekhyun sighed. Jongdae knew that he didn’t know what to call Kyungsoo anymore. “so we don’t know what’s going on with her brain.”

“We could’ve, though.”

Silence pulled in thick around them in a matter of seconds.

“Sehun was kind of right, you know.” Jongdae found himself saying.

“I know. I can’t even believe Sehun would know anything about those data.” Baekhyun simply replied, grabbing the door knob to the boys’ suit. “I put this upon myself.”

“At least you know.” Jongdae patted the older male’s head before Baekhyun pushed open the door, revealing the inside of their room. Jongdae could see a large lump under the covers on the bed at the far corner. He guessed it must’ve been Chanyeol since he did say that he wanted to take a rest. All the other beds were unoccupied so Jongdae figured Jongin and Sehun were still exploring.

“Chanyeol?” he called lightly after Baekhyun shut the door behind them. There was a hum coming from the person under the covers and the low voice was a dead giveaway. “Did we wake you?” Jongdae asked, getting closer.

“No.” Chanyeol answered, shifting his body so he could look at both Baekhyun and Jongdae. “I said I’d sleep but it’s proving hard at the moment.” He said, looking at the white ceiling.

“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the shower.” Baekhyun said as he walked to the short hallway towards their bathroom.

“You took a bath, like, two hours ago.” Chanyeol said from his bed as he sat up, his red hair disheveled on top of his head. Through observation, Jongdae saw that the slightly younger’s hair was ever so slightly changing in hues.

“I need another one.” Baekhyun simply said with a blank face and the sound of a door opening and closing was heard. Seconds after the sound of a lock turning echoed though the small hallway in the corner of the room, the sound of the water running came next.

The next ten minutes came by in silence until Jongdae sighed.

“What are you thinking about?” he turned to Chanyeol, who turned away.

“Nothing.” Chanyeol simply answered, his face emotionless.

“I know you’re thinking about something.” Jongdae said stubbornly. “It’s obvious.”

“Sometimes, I hate that about you.” Chanyeol hissed at him. Jongdae simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m a natural.” he snickered.

“Really, it’s nothing.” Chanyeol sighed as he laid back on his bed. Jongdae knew something was up and he was really, really tempted to say something about it but he willed his mouth stay shut. Chanyeol seemed to notice his determination but he didn’t comment about it.

“Are they still talking?” Chanyeol suddenly asks.

“Who?” Jongdae raised a brow at the taller.  
“Noona and the others.”

“Yeah.” Jongdae replied with a nod. “They seemed to be super into it, too. They didn’t even bat an eyelid when we entered through the front door.”

“They were like that when I watched them from the second floor earlier.” Chanyeol said, fully sitting up. “Johnny and Kyungsoo’s brother seemed to be intently listening, too. It looked like they were in a conference or something.”

“Well, it couldn’t be helped.” Jongdae sighed as he laid on the bed next to Chanyeol. “I mean, I would’ve grilled you with questions until you’re drained to the bone, if it were me. Imagine, almost two years of disappearance and one day, they’re suddenly at your doorstep and sleeping in your living room like nothing happened.”

“Not what I imagine we’d do, by the way.” Chanyeol commented.

“Yeah, well, who did, anyway?” Jongdae closed his eyes after putting his hands behind his head, finally relaxing. “I imagined it to be more…”

“More what?”

“I don’t know.” Jongdae shrugged. “I imagined it to be more dramatic, I guess.”

“You call coming back from a laboratory after two years and suddenly learning that Kyungsoo has a son that she kept hidden from everyone for five years not dramatic? What kind of world do you live in?” Chanyeol asked, his voice going a bit higher than usual.

“I’ve lived in a box, Chanyeol. I’m pretty sure you did, too.” Jongdae commented.

“Touché.”

“I mean, sure, I’d give Kyungsoo’s life nine points out of ten for being dramatic. But, you know what will make it go significantly higher?”

“What?”

“If we fi-,”

A soft knock on the door distracted both Jongdae and Chanyeol.

“The food’s ready, if you want to eat.” Someone said on the other side of the door. From the sound of it, it was Taeyong.

“We’ll be out in a minute.” Chanyeol said, making his voice a little louder, probably to make sure that Taeyong heard him. “We’ll just wait for Baekhyun to finish showering.”

“Alright, we’ll wait for you, then.” Taeyong said before Jongdae heard footsteps going away from the door. Soon, Taeyong’s footsteps faded away.

They were quiet for a moment.

“Everything here is so messed up.” Jongdae said after seconds of silence.

“We, alone, are messed up.” Chanyeol said as he stood up and began stretching his limbs and his back. The satisfying sounds of bones popping was heard.

“You got a point there.” Jongdae nodded, stretching his body, too.

“But that’s what makes our life interesting, right?” Baekhyun suddenly came out of the bathroom with his hair dripping water on the floor and a towel around his waist, exposing his toned chest. There was steam coming from inside the bathroom and into the small hallway connecting it to the room.

“I hate to say it, but Baekhyun, you’re right.” Jongdae said as he, too, stood.

“Well, no matter what we’ll do, the fun’s not going to last that long.” Chanyeol said as he walked towards the door. Jongdae sighed.

“As much as I’m disappointed to admit it; You’re right, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hwehwhwehwehwehwehwe *more laughter*
> 
> NEXT UP: She starts talking about her problem. Her partner listens. They start investigating on the laboratory. She wants to know what they found. She immediately regrets everything.


	35. JUNMYEON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so long and I don't know why

Junmyeon was surprised she didn’t flip out.

They know that their abilities are gone. Of course they do. Sehun was the first one to accept because he lost his even before Junmyeon and the others did. Junmyeon was the next and the others followed.

Junmyeon’s having a hard time adjusting and she knows the others are, too. They’ve been thinking of ways to protect the Tree even without their abilities but all their thinking has proven fruitless ever since the day they came back. Minseok’s been trying to help Junmyeon cope and the others, as well. Oddly, he still disappears to make phone calls. Sometimes, he disappears in the middle of the night – Junmyeon would sometimes wake up from her sleep and find Minseok sitting on the couch with his phone in his hands, a frown always on his face. Until now, Junmyeon still has no idea who he’s contacting. She didn’t want to ask because she didn’t want Minseok to think that she’s getting clingy.

The kids were still staying at the Min Household and they were scheduled to go back to Daejeon at the end of their fifth week – which is in three days – but it was decided that Jisung would stay behind to be with Kyungsoo for two to three weeks more than the others. Jinki would come to pick him up if he’s ready to go home. It was also decided that Chaeyoung will stay just as long as Jisung to be with her brother.

It’s the third week they’ve been back from escaping the laboratory. Yoongi and Kyunghoon have permitted them to stay at least until Johnny’s construction crew finished refurbishing the old house they used to live in when they were kids; the same house that they grew up in and the same house that’s near to the Tree of Life. It shocked everyone when they were told that the house was rebuilt. The last time Junmyeon saw it, it was burned down to the ground with blue flames.

Junmyeon and the eight remaining Guardians talked among themselves one day. Their talk was so long that it took the whole day for them to finish. They finally came to their senses that they’re not willing to run away anymore and they need to finally start doing what they were born to do; protect the Tree of Life and the people around it. Minseok nodded as soon as Junmyeon brought the topic up. Sehun and Jongin immediately agreed. Chanyeol followed. Kyungsoo and the others followed soon after him.

They swore on the people who lost their lives for them. Especially on those three who they couldn’t protect despite the promise they made to each other of doing so.

“Are you alright?”

Junmyeon blinked a couple of times before she looked at the person beside her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She replied.

“What’re you thinking of?” Minseok asked, tilting his head up to see her face.

“It’s not much.” Jumyeon answered but the man beside her didn’t give in. Junmyeon was sitting on the left of the bed, facing the headboard, while Minseok was laying on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Since Kyungsoo has her own room inside the house, and since the boys have broken into pairs – except for Chanyeol, Jongin and Sehun; the three of them are in one room – and were sharing, Junmyeon has the room all to herself. Minseok was there to accompany her since his roommate – Jongdae – was grumbling to himself again and Minseok couldn’t take all the incoherent muttering from the younger male.

“It’s nothing.” Junmyeon smiled at the older but he didn’t seem convinced so Junmyeon just sighed, giving in.

“I just feel like this is another dream.” She finally admitted, looking down at her counterpart. Minseok raised a brow at her.

“Why would you think this is all a dream?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the ceiling.

“Kyungsoo seems different, everyone seems different, everything feels different, even Johnny looks different.” Junmyeon answered before sighing, placing her right hand on the bed next to Minseok as she slightly leaned at her side, putting her weight on her right and feeling the bed dip down. “It feels unnatural, in a way.” She added.

“Well, considering what we just went through, I’m not surprised that that’s what you feel.” Minseok said as he slowly sat up, sitting in the middle of the bed, parallel to Junmyeon. “I have to admit, everything feels different for me, too.” he said, fixing his position.

“I don’t know.” Junmyeon said, letting herself fall to the side. Her head landed on Minseok’s lap. She looked up at the older, who was looking slightly worried.

“It’s probably nothing.” She said in attempt to make the worried expression on her counterpart’s face fade. She hated seeing him like that and he knows it.

“I guess it can’t be helped.” Minseok sighed as he combed through Junmyeon’s dark hair. “We’re all antsy.”

“Yeah.” Junmyeon nodded. “I heard Johnny’s team is investigating on the laboratory. Or what’s left of it, at least.”

“I have a feeling he’s got Kun working non-stop again.” The older said, looking down at Junmyeon.

“His ability is tremendously helpful in situations like these, it seems.” Junmyeon agreed while nodding.

“Especially now, when technology is everything.” The older said as he looked out the window. “Anything is possible these days.”

“Yeah.” Junmyeon couldn’t help but agree. “His ability comes in handy when he’s searching for something or something.”

“Honestly, I feel sorry for the kid.”

“He’s twenty-two, only five years younger than you, just reminding.”

“I know.”

“But yeah, you’re right.” Junmyeon sighed, closing her eyes. “He’d been working without breaks just to find us, and we both know what will happen to him when he uses his ability to that extent.”

“Kind of like what you did when you were in high school?” Minseok asked, causing Junmyeon to open her eyes.

“What did I do?” Junmyeon hummed as her brows furrowed.

“You know, when we were out in the beach and you tried so hard to split it up?” Minseok leaned down with a smirk, undoubtedly playing with Junmyeon.

“In my defense, I thought it was possible.” She huffed, turning away with a slight pout.

“Well, you proved that it was possible, alright.” Minseok grinned as he leaned back, continuing to run his fingers through Junmyeon’s hair. “You tried all day and night until you finally did it in the dead of dawn. You scared the hell out of all of us, too.”

“I kind of don’t remember that part.” Junmyeon chuckled sheepishly as she turned her head towards her partner.

“It’s because that’s when you blacked out and wouldn’t respond to anything. You were bleeding from your nose and your ears, Junmyeon. It was a good thing we have a healer in our ranks, or else, something _else_ might’ve happened.” Minseok roughly flicked Junmyeon in the forehead and caused her to yelp.

“That was almost ten years ago, idiot.” Junmyeon huffed again, clearly embarrassed after recalling the memory.

Comfortable silence enveloped the two of them after a while of chuckling.

“Hey, Min.” Junmyeon called after a while of silence. Minseok’s movements already faded into idleness a while ago.

“Yeah?” the older hummed, fixing his position so that he was looking down at Junmyeon.

“It’s already been twelve years.” she simply said, not saying anything else, knowing well that Minseok would understand what she was saying.

“I know.” Her counterpart answered before sighing. “We’re no closer to accomplishing anything. We even ran away.”

“Do you think it’s possible?” Junmyeon asked, sitting up, twisting her body so she was facing her counterpart.

“To defeat the _Red Force_?” Minseok turned his body to look at her. Junmyeon gave a small nod. “Honestly, yes, I do.” Minseok said, smiling at her.

“What makes you say that?” Junmyeon raised a questioning brow.

“I think we have what it takes to defeat them.” Her counterpart replied. “But we don’t have the time and strategy to do it. _Their_ just that prepared.”

“But, it’s hard.” Junmyeon said, looking down on the covers of her bed. “We’re not doing our jobs right. We don’t even have our powers.” She said, clutching the covers in her hands. Emotions bubbling up once again.

“We’re not even the ones doing our jobs.”

“We’ll be fine.” Minseok reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Sooner or later, everything will turn in our favor. We’ve lost time, but we’ll get there.”

“How do you know?” Junmyeon looked up at Minseok and asked, her eyes starting to get glossy. “How do you know what will happen?”

“Because I know. You never know what will happen in the future. And who knows? Maybe we’ll gather allies with time.” Her counterpart answered reassuringly.

“You can lead us there, Junmyeon. It sounds cheesy – believe me, I don’t like it when I say things like this, either – but I know you can.”

Junmyeon lightly chuckled. “That’s rich, coming from you.” She joked, chuckling again right after.

“You know me, Myeon, more than anybody else.” Minseok said as he placed his hands on top of hers. “Come on, you need to sleep. It’s eleven in the evening.”

Minseok suddenly placed his hands on Junmyeon’s sides, lifting her up over the bed. She gave out a yell of surprise at her partner’s actions. In a matter of seconds, Minseok lifted her from the edge of the bed, over his body, to his other side, laying her on the mattress with a bounce.

“Give the woman a warning, next time.” Junmyeon scolded, lightly punching Minseok in the chest. The older chuckled as he removed the covers from under her before draping it over Junmyeon’s body.

“When did you get so strong?” Junmyeon asked, looking up at her counterpart. Her hair was sprawled out under her head because of the sudden movement and she took her time gathering them all up to the side of her head.

“I’ve been working out for years, Junmyeon.” Minseok said as he draped the covers over himself. Junmyeon raised a brow at her partner.

“You’re not going back to your room?” she asked.

“Jongdae can sleep alone in our room.” Minseok simply answered and flicked the table lamp’s light close before fully entering the covers. He placed an arm under Junmyeon’s head and adjusted until he became comfortable.

“He’s going to get mad when he wakes up and saw that you let him sleep alone without telling him.” Junmyeon snuggled closer, finding her spot below his shoulder.

“That’s fine. He’s not a kid anymore.” Minseok chuckled, looking down at Junmyeon.

“You have a knack for making me remember the past, huh?” Junmyeon raised a brow at her counterpart.

“What? It’s not my fault Jongdae is scared and always wants someone to sleep with him in his room.” The older smiled before leaning down to place a kiss on top of Junmyeon’s forehead. “Besides, sleeping with you is better.”

Minseok snaked his other arm over Junmyeon’s waist and pulled, his other arm curling at the back of her head to keep her in place. Junmyeon felt his hands softly card through her hair again.

“I’m scared, Min.” Junmyeon said in a small, sleepy voice.

“We all are.” the older answered. “I am, too.” he said in a whisper. “But, we’ll get through all of this. One way or another.”

She felt Minseok’s hold tighten protectively around her.

Junmyeon smiled as she started to drift off, slowly breathing in the sweet scent of her partner. Ever since they were kids, he always smelt like vanilla. How he gets himself to smell like that, Junmyeon doesn’t know. She has slept smelling the same thing for countless nights before.

“You’re going to be fine.” She heard the older whisper before she completely dozed off.

Three days after their return and their talk, three weeks ago, Johnny had returned back to Seoul for work and Junmyeon has learned that he’s been investigating on what’s remaining under all the ruble of the laboratory ever since the day they came back. It shocked Junmyeon as to how fast and efficient Johnny works with his people. They had scheduled that Junmyeon and Johnny would have a talk on what the younger found during their investigation on the night the kids left, in order for none of them to hear their conversation. They are too young to know anything, Junmyeon said. Surprisingly, Johnny agreed to her almost immediately.

“So, what did you find?” Junmyeon asked as she sat down on the couch. They were in the upstairs library, away from the other Guardians and Johnny’s friends. The only person permitted to be inside the library, aside from both of them, was Kun because of obvious reasons. He was sitting right beside Johnny, directly in front of Junmyeon. The others put up a bit of a fight after finding out that only the three of them would talk but Junmyeon calmed them all down, saying that she will tell them what’s happening after she finds out.

“We found a lot of interesting things, actually.” Johnny answered her, looking at Kun.

“The explosion eradicated almost everything from the upstairs of the facility.” Kun said as he swiped his hand in the air, showing his holographic screens appear in front of him. He pushed the screens to make it sit on top of the table in front of them, enlarging it as he did, so Junmyeon could see what was on the display.

“Nothing was left on the top?” Junmyeon asked, analyzing the pictures and notes from the hologram. He saw some pictures with reporters.

“Yes. It took us time to dig through the debris but when we got down, almost nothing got touched at the bottom.” Kun answered, leaning forwards, flipping through the pictures he had up on his screens. “We suspected that the bomb was only placed at the upper building. The floor was literally a meter and a half thick.”

Junmyeon stilled. She thought the explosion destroyed everything that was under the facility since she was sure the explosion came from below. If the floors downstairs weren’t destroyed, then every single evidence that they were kept there for one and a half years should still there. The explosion was only set up so they would get away from the laboratory.

“And? What did you see when you entered?” Junmyeon leaned forwards, anticipation already killing her.

“A very, _very large_ laboratory. It was three levels underground.” Johnny said.

“Your fingerprints were practically everywhere.” Kun said as he swiped through his holograms, showing a 3D layout of the laboratory. “I’ve made this to map out where noona and the others were kept. The laboratory was so large that it took me almost a day to map everything out.

The West wing mostly consisted of the younger ones, from Chanyeol-hyung to Sehun-hyung. The East wing contained the rest, from Minseok-hyung to Jongdae-hyung. Yixing-hyung was kept in another room until he was transferred to Chanyeol-hyung’s room.”

Junmyeon’s brows furrowed. “How did you know that?” she asked, doubting her ears.

“Using my ability, I was able to approximate the time when fingerprints were placed in a certain object. I scanned he room we assumed to be where Yixing-hyung was kept in and the fingerprints there were relatively older than those that were present inside Chanyeol-hyung’s room. The difference in time are only a few days to a week, give or take. It was enough to concluded that he was kept there before he ended up rooming with Chanyeol-hyung.” Kun explained, swiping through his holograms as he did.

“Wow, that’s really accurate.” Junmyeon leaned back in thought. “Yixing said the exact same thing when I asked him about what happened to him inside the laboratory.” She made sure to ask everyone about what they went through – she got angry when she heard about Sehun’s and Chanyeol’s stories – in order to gather information. She planned to cross-reference what she’d learned with Kun’s information.

“I had them comb through every single room inside the laboratory. I made sure to take part in that.” Johnny said, looking at Junmyeon. “But everywhere we look, we couldn’t find it, noona.” He said.

“We’re sorry.”

Junmyeon sighed. It was expected. Johnny and the others knows about the loss of their abilities and Junmyeon had asked them if they could find out what made them lose it in the first place. She half-expected them to not find it since it’s something precious and she doubts the _Red Force_ would leave something like that behind when they plan on destroying the whole laboratory. But then, again, the laboratory was relatively unscathed from the explosion. She figures the members of the _Red Force_ came back for their abilities after they all fled.

“That’s fine.” She found herself saying at the two younger people in front of her. “I thought there was a slight chance to get them back, that’s all.” She said bitterly.

“The control room database was scrubbed clean. Some of the computers were destroyed.” Kun said, typing on the keyboard that appeared along with his holograms. “Everything from your identities to the extraction of your abilities and even to the experiment they did was gone.”

“As we said before, the laboratory is three levels under the abandoned facility. The two levels above it were storage areas for data and results, that’s why the two floors are significantly smaller than the laboratory.” Johnny continued as Junmyeon nodded her head. “There were computers everywhere but Kun couldn’t go through them all since it would be useless because the drives were all extracted.”

“So we have no idea what the experiment was for and what the results were.” Junmyeon hummed. “Honestly, I’m not even sure if I want to know what that experiment was all about.” She admitted, leaning back slightly.

“Noona, I have a question. It’s not really the time for this, but,” Johnny said after he and Kun shared a look. “It’s about Chanyeol-hyung.”

“Is this about Chanyeol’s copy running around loosely when we were rescuing Chaeyoung?”

By the shocked look in Kun’s and Johnny’s face, Junmyeon hit the mark.

“Thankfully, I have an explanation for that.” Junmyeon said after she sighed.

“Remember when I told you that me and Minseok-oppa got separated during our run in the laboratory?” Johnny nodded at her. “Well, I ran into Suhø, my clone.” She continued. “You both already know about the incident with Sehun’s clone, right?” the two males in front of her nodded.

“Well, it turns out Sehůn wasn’t the only clone that slipped by me. Even Chanyeol’s clone, X-61, Chanyëol, did. Though, unlike Sehůn, Chanyëol was released only on that day at the warehouse.”

“But didn’t you say that they didn’t have powers or memories until they captured you? How could he have managed to run around without memories?” Johnny asked, his brows furrowed.

“I asked about that, too.” Junmyeon replied. “Chanyëol was released with absolutely nothing with him. He was literally just an empty shell. The only thing he had with him were a few emotions, what our faces looked like, what our names were and a mission to distract and confuse everyone. Yuta was knocked out during his watch, right?”

“Yeah, he said that he fought with someone for a bit. He said that he managed to throw his chair at his attacker and injure them, but the final blow came from behind him so he didn’t see who knocked him out.” Johnny nodded at Junmyeon.

“That was Chanyëol’s work. That was his first mission. Suhø said that he was also supposed to get to Kun, too, but we found Chaeyoung sooner than expected so he rushed to the venue. He met us for the first time that night. His second mission was to help capture all of us. He managed to capture the original Chanyeol in the highway with that fake SWAT team. That’s what Suhø told me.”

“So the fire couldn’t be Chanyëol’s work because he was only released during the rescue.” Johnny hissed, his tone frustrated. “We’re back to step one on the Arizona fire. We’re no closer to finding out who’s responsible.” He sighed before he turned to Junmyeon.

“What happened with Suhø, by the way, noona?” he asked. “Kun found traces of your blood on one of the laboratory’s hallways.”

“We fought.” Junmyeon answered. “I managed to gravely injure Suhø, but she fled away before I could end everything. That blood wasn’t mine; it was Suhø’s.”

There was silence again before Johnny spoke with a bit of nervousness in his voice.

“Noona, I’m not sure if we should tell this to you, but we’re going to do it anyway.” he suddenly said. “There was one computer inside the facility that Kun was able to get through to. It contained a single file with data.” he continued, before Junmyeon saw his fists clench.

“Noona.” He called softly, making Junmyeon look at his eyes. “I’m sorry for what we’re about to show you.” Both he and Kun shared a look before Kun nodded and swiped through his holograms.

What Junmyeon saw knocked the breath out of her.

“Oh my god.” She gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth. She couldn’t speak at what she saw. She became a stuttering mess. She looked away, closing her eyes shut at what was in front of her.

There was a picture of someone sprawled on the tiled floor, their limbs bending in odd angles. Their pure white clothes – the same clothes Junmyeon and the others wore when they were in the laboratory – was torn and stained with red. Blood covered the room; the floor, the walls, there was even splashes on the ceiling. There was no skin without a cut, blood escaped from everywhere – though, it looked all dried up. The person’s skin was deathly white in color.

Junmyeon felt sick.

“This is too much.” She leaned her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands, willing for the image to go away. She knew who that was. Of course she did. She spent her whole life growing up with that person.

It was Kyungsoo’s body.

Johnny and the others are aware of their cloning. Of course they are. Junmyeon was aware that it wasn’t the real Kyungsoo’s body that was mutilated on the laboratory floor.

She _knows._

After Suhø’s and Xiůmin’s fiasco in that room where Minseok and Junmyeon were trapped inside glass boxes, Junmyeon had blacked out for a couple of minutes after nearly drowning with her own element.

She heard something before she completely passed out.

_“Subject number X-12 has been labeled a traitor. Result to extreme measures.”_

A scream had followed soon after.

 _This_ was what the voice meant with extreme measures.

It’s beyond sickening.

Junmyeon willed herself not to throw up.

She knows that the person in the picture isn’t the real Kyungsoo.

But she looks like the real Kyungsoo, so Junmyeon was having a hard time keeping it together.

“The file that we’ve mentioned earlier contained the person’s information. It’s Kyungsoo-noona’s clone, DØ. Her information was all there, everything about her was there. A large ‘X’ was repeatedly drawn over her picture.” Kun said after Junmyeon visibly calmed down. The picture was no longer displayed in front of her so she was finally able to look up without getting sick.

“I think this file was deliberately set up in there so you could find it when you decide to come back.” Johnny said. “We have information that DØ was killed moments after she let Kyungsoo-noona and the others escape without doing anything.”

“How do you know that?” Junmyeon asked, still seeing the image in her head.

“I think Kyungsoo-noona’s clone knew that they were being audio recorded but Kyungsoo-noona, herself, didn’t. DØ only said that the cameras around the room were all disabled.” Kun replied, playing an audio clip. Junmyeon’s eyes widened at what she heard.

It was Kyungsoo’s voice.

“This is a conversation Kyungsoo-noona had with her clone. It’s only DØ’s voice because she was the only one with the recorder. It’s a one-sided conversation so it’ll be a bit hard to understand.”

_ “I replaced her.” _

_ “Right before she was placed with Park Chanyeol, they changed my clothes. I was supposed to have ‘X-12’ on my collar.” _

_ “The cameras are disabled. I snuck out when they gave me time to change. I destroyed the control room, so all the cameras are disabled.” _

_ “I took this when they gave me new clothes. I suggest you take this chance to escape. It won’t be long before than son of a bitch goes inside the control room.” _

_ “Would you believe me if I said that I don’t want to be a part of this scheme?” _

_ “Do you really?” _

_ “No you don’t.” _

_ “You didn’t see this coming, did you?” _

_ “Given that I am a successful cloning of your entire being, you’re probably wondering why I look like shit, not obeying the bids of my creator at all. I’m supposed to replace you, as you may already know, and cause havoc around the world. I’m supposed to be the one to cause the more devastating destruction with my – your – ability. I was supposed to fight against you.” _

_ “We have something else that we don’t have in common, Kyungsoo.” _

_ “You have someone you have to protect with your life; I don’t. Without him, I just don’t see the point of everything at all.” _

_ “Go.” _

_ “Oh, and Kyungsoo?” _

_ “Take care of him, okay?” _

The recording stopped for a moment before it continued again. This time, the tone in DØ’s voice was different.

_ “You may know about him now, but you lot are so stupid. Do you honestly think that they don’t have a chance at destroying you? You could’ve killed them on the spot, but you didn’t, bcause you can’t, can you? They have what it takes, assholes, and they’re going defeat you when the time comes. I suggest you stay away and leave them all alone when you still have the chance.” _

After that, a lot of screaming was heard and the audio was cut.

“DØ knew she was being recorded.” Junmyeon’s eyes widened as she stood, pacing around the couch. “She knew that the _Red Force_ heard everything she said and she sent a message.”

“Yes, and because of the fact that she betrayed the _Red Force_ , she was killed.” Johnny said, nodding at her. “Quite brutally.” He muttered to himself.

“And hyung, noona.” Johnny and Junmyeon looked at Kun when he called.

“Since DØ took the risk and _they_ heard everything, _they_ know Kyungsoo-noona’s hiding someone that’s really, really important to her.” the younger said, looking at both Johnny and Junmyeon with sharp eyes.

“Who do you think could that be?”

Realization struck both Junmyeon and Johnny at the same time. They both looked at each other and shared a look of fear and shock.

“She took the risk and told Kyungsoo-noona to protect him.” Kun said, swiping through his holograms, revealing a picture with words written on top of it with red ink.

Junmeyon gasped.

“We need to warn Kyungsoo about this.” she said as she stood from the couch. “The _Red Force_ deliberately left this file in the laboratory, knowing that we will return someday.”

All three occupants of the room stared at the photo in front of them, the words on top of the photo etched clearly in their minds.

_“We’re coming for your mother and her friends, Jisung-ah.”_

Under it was a picture of Jisung playing on a field. A large innocent smile was pasted on his face, completely not knowing that he was being photographed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most predictable plot twist ever hwehwehwehwe
> 
> Also, I live in a fluffy cloud
> 
> NEXT UP: They're targeting her baby, and she's got nothing to fight with. She gets conflicted.


	36. KYUNGSOO

“What the fuck do you mean the _Red Force_ is after Jisung?!”

Kyungsoo huffed in anger as she stood from her spot in the couch next to Junmyeon. She had been having a wonderful mother and son bonding time with Jisung when Kun unexpectedly came to tell her that they needed to discuss something with Junmyeon and Johnny. She ended up leaving Jisung to play with Chaeyoung instead – she hoped the younger woman didn’t mind to keep her son company. Kyungsoo expected them to talk about what they found in the laboratory since she was sure that that’s what Johnny, Kun and Junmyeon had been talking about for the past hour and a half that they’ve confined themselves inside the library of the house. She didn’t expect to hear that someone else knows about Jisung’s relation with her as soon as she sat down on the couch beside her leader.

As soon as she found out, she shot up from the couch and yelled, before she started pacing in front of the couch.

“Kyungsoo, calm down.” Junmyeon tried to coerce her into sitting again but Kyungsoo was angry. They had just explained the situation to her and her mind was making unnecessary scenarios in her head.

“This can’t be happening.” Kyungsoo muttered repeated under her breath as she paced. “Don’t tell me this is happening.” She muttered again and again.

After sacrificing everything and making the hardest decisions she’d ever made, Kyungsoo is not – and will ever be – willing to lose Jisung. She worked her ass out to protect him from everything and she knows that Johnny and Taeyong did, too. She wasn’t letting anyone and anything touch Jisung.

No matter what it takes, not one’s going near her baby.

“Min Kyungmi, sit the fuck down!”

Almost immediately, Kyungsoo complied and sat on the couch beside Junmyeon. Because of her incessant muttering, pacing and thinking, she didn’t realize that her brothers had entered the library and has already taken their seats at Johnny’s right. Johnny must’ve asked Kun to get them in attempt to calm Kyungsoo down. Obviously, it was Yoongi that shouted at her – which was something because he usually never shouts. Kyunghoon would’ve but Yoongi must’ve lost his temper – as always – when he saw her pacing around and was not listening to any of the three that were there before them.

“I can’t believe this.” Kyungsoo whispered, her mental and emotional state crashing down all at once. “I can’t believe this.” She repeated over and over again, burying her face on her hands as she leaned forwards.

“Getting worked up over it won’t change anything, Mi.” Kyunghoon said from his seat. Even though Kyungsoo couldn’t see him, she knew that he was disapprovingly shaking his head.

“I’ve risked everything for Jisung.” Kyungsoo hissed, staring at the floor of the library. “Don’t tell me it’s all for nothing!” she cried, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

“It’s definitely not for nothing, Mi. You know that.” her oldest brother said. “Jisung knows it, too.”

Kyungsoo knows that, deep inside.

But even so, Kyungsoo is frustrated.

“So, what are you going to do?” she asked when she – slightly – calmed down. She didn’t look at anyone when she spoke and she’s happy that no one told her to. They must’ve been feeling how tense she was.

“We’re still thinking, actually.” Johnny said before he sighed. “We need a plan. Especially now, when you’ve lost all your abilities, and, of course, because something might happen to Jisung.”

“We have no method of fighting.” Junmyeon said, placing a gentle hand over Kyungsoo’s own. “That’s going to be tough.”

“I have a question.” Yoongi piped up from his seat. Kyungsoo looked up to look at her brother. “We’re informed of what you are dealing with but we don’t know how they act. Surely, like all of you, they are also equipped with supernatural…. Stuff. If you have nothing to fight with, what’re you going to use to protect the Tree of Life? That’s your goal right?” he asked. Yoongi had a point. They were practically useless without their abilities and Kyungsoo doubts that they would stand a chance fighting the _Red Force_ without Johnny and the others.

“We don’t know, either, and you’re right, we have nothing against other supernatural beings.” Junmyeon answered, looking at Kyungsoo. The younger woman remained silent as she looked at her leader. The older suddenly looked back at Johnny.

“I’m only asking this because I’m curious. I don’t want them to be involved in this ay further than they already have.” Junmyeon said sternly. “I have no idea what the kids’ abilities are. Mind telling me?” she said, looking down.

“They can show it to you themselves.” Johnny nodded. “I actually think they _want_ to show their abilities. I heard that they’ve been gushing and talking about you and the others nonstop o their wat back to Daejeon.”

“What makes you say that? How do you know?” Kyungsoo heard her leader ask.

Kyungsoo might’ve already known what all the kids’ abilities are but she almost never gets to see them use it. When she visited in the past, she only stayed until nightfall and always left afterwards. The most she stayed inside the house in Daejeon was two consecutive days. Those were the times when they were on break with their training. Plus, the new kids, Chenle, Jaemin and Yang Yang, she still doesn’t know what they do.

“They may not look like it but they’re actually big fans of you.” Kyunghoon said with a smile. “They talk about the Guardians of the Tree of Life all the time. They’ve memorized the story by heart.”

“What story?” Junmyeon tipped her head to the side.

“There’s a story about us in a children’s book.” Kyungsoo answered her leader’s question. “It’s not specifically about us. It’s actually a general story about the twelve Guardians that fought red forces who attempted to steal the power of the Tree of Life for their own.”

“Oh, the one that Jae-eomma was telling us when we were kids?” Junmyeon looked at Kyungsoo.

“Yeah.” the younger nodded. “Taeyong’s been telling the story to the kids, but unlike us back then, they know that’s it’s a real story. And ever since they’ve met Zitao, we became their role models.” Kyungsoo explained.

“Zitao taught them how to control their powers, right?” the older asked, her eyes shining. Kyungsoo immediately understood what she was trying to say, seeing everything that’s behind her leader’s eyes.

“Yes, he did, and he taught them all well. I’ve heard that from the kids firsthand.” She nodded, smiling softly. Junmyeon sighed with a smile.

“That’s good to hear.” The older whispered before she turned to Johnny. “When can we see their abilities?” she asked. Kyungsoo knows she’s eager to find out Zitao’s and the kids’ hard work put together.

“Since they just left, you’ll probably see them again when you travel back to Jeju island. After a week or two of staying there, that’s probably when they’ll visit you.” Johnny explained. He suddenly looked at his phone after hearing it buzz.

“Excuse me for a minute.” He said before standing to answer the call. He went out of the library seconds after he placed his phone next to his ear.

Junmyeon hummed from beside Kyungsoo. “That’s quite a long waiting time.” She muttered, placing a finger over her chin in thought.

“It’s worth it, though.” Kyunghoon said from in front of them. “I’ve seen what they can all do and it’s amazing.”

“I can agree on that.” Yoongi seconded, nodding at the older male’s statement.

“I have a question.” Junmyeon said, sounding oddly like how Yoongi did only minutes ago. She sat silently, as if mentally debating with herself, before she spoke in a soft voice. “Don’t you find it…… weird…?” she asked, cautious about her words.

“Weird?” Yoongi raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“To be surrounded with people like us…... don’t you find that at least a little bit…. I don’t know…. scary?” Junmyeon leaned back, as if preparing for a blow.

“Due to the fact that our sister is one of Twelve that protect the Tree of Life, no, we don’t.” Yoongi said with a slight rise in his voice. Junmyeon looked baffled for a moment before her expression softened, a look of relief covering her face.

“I admit; it was hard to believe when we first met her, though.” Yoongi continued.

“But we slowly got to know who she really was. We knew she meant no harm.” Kyunghoon smiled at Kyungsoo. “It was hard not to believe her when she showed us what she could do.”

“Please don’t remind me of that day.” Yoongi grumbled, leaning back against the backrest of the couch. Kyungsoo saw Kyunghoon smirk at the younger male.

“Why? What happened?” Junmyeon asked, clearly confused.

“Kyungsoo-noona lifted Yoongi-hyung in the air with one hand and spun him around until he begged her to put him down.” Kun explained, speaking up after a long time of just listening to their conversation.

“Kun!” Kyungsoo chuckled when she saw the tips of Yoongi’s pale skin flush red in embarrassment. Suddenly, Johnny entered the library once again. He walked passed them and sat back on his spot.

“Well, I think the kids’ showcase is going to be sooner than expected.” He said, pocketing his phone.

“Does that mean the house is almost done?” Kyungsoo asked, leaning forwards. The younger nodded with a smile.

“The house is already built, years ago, but since no one lived there for six years, parts of the house needs to be restored again. The completion of the renovation was scheduled in two months but due to some unexpected help from a certain someone,” the younger glanced at Kyunghoon with a smile before he continued. “the completion date was moved to a month from now.”

“I guess some people got bored and wanted to work out their muscles for a change.” The oldest among them shrugged as he smirked.

“He got his friends to work. Finally, they’re going to stand up from being in their apartments all day.” Yoongi rolled his eyes at Kyunghoon, answering the probable question that Junmyeon was about to ask.

“So we can go back sooner than expected?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yep.” Johnny answered with a grin.

“Then that’s settled, then.” Kyungsoo sighed. “But we still have nothing against _them._ Jisung and the kids are still……”

There was silence around them once again.

“We might need time to think about what to do, Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon whispered from beside Kyungsoo. “We can’t come up with a solution in just one day.”

“I know that.” Kyungsoo whispered back. “But, it’s just…” she looked down, thinking about her baby boy.

“I know you’re worried about Jisung, but look at it this way,” Junmyeon said in a calming tone. “if we plan hastily, then the chance of you losing Jisung would only grow.”

Kyungsoo stayed silent, not wanting to admit that what her leader said was true.

“She’s right, Mi.” Kyunghoon said from in front of them. “Everything takes time.”

“Plus, I think your worries have lessened significantly.” Yoongi said from beside his brother.

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo raised her head to look at her brother.

“We talked with Johnny when he arrived here.” Yoongi gestured at Johnny. “Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun will be staying here until you can go back.”

“And once you’re there, Jaehyun and Doyoung follow. Taeil-hyung will tag along with them, too.” Kun said with a smile. “For the meantime, it’s just us three.”

“What about Taeyong and the kids?” Junmyeon asked. “Won’t thy need protection, too? Since Jisung and Chaeyoung would eventually go back to them.”

“For Taeyong and the kids, Yuta will watch over them for the meantime.” Johnny said. “When you return to Jeju, Kun will join them in Daejeon.”

“Only them?” Junmyeon asked.

“Yes, only them.” Johnny nodded. Junmyeon looked worriedly at Kyungsoo.

“Don’t get me wrong, I know each of you are capable of protecting them, and I trust your judgement, Johnny.” Junmyeon defended, raising her hands in front of her as she looked at Johnny before looking back at Kyungsoo. “But….” she whispered, fear evident in her voice.

“I’m worried.” the older voiced. Kyungsoo nodded before she looked at Johnny.

If her leader was this worried, Kyungsoo would be on the boarder going mental.

“I know where you’re going with this Johnny.” Kyungsoo said in a low voice, her brown eyes glaring at Johnny. “Jungwoo’s not ready, Johnny.” She said. “He still has seven months.”

“Then he has to shape up, now.” Johnny simply answered. “With us being busy with all that has happened, he’s our best shot for Jinki-hyung, Taeyong and the kids.”

“What are you talking about?” Junmyeon placed a hand over Kyungsoo’s own as she asked in a small voice. Kyungsoo sighed after seeing the expression on her leader’s face.

“Unnie, you know very well that everyone under Taeyong’s roof are gifted, right?” She asked, looking at her leader. She watched the older nod before she continued. “And you know, too, that the people in Johnny’s inner circle are all gifted as well.”

“You don’t mean….” Junmyeon’s eyes widened when Kyungsoo nodded.

“Yes, it was decided that all the children Taeyong takes in will eventually enter NEO City’s inner circle when they reach the age of twenty.” Kyungsoo explained.

“And since Jungwoo is already going to come of age in February, he’s been training for the past year in preparation for his official joining in NEO City.” Johnny continued. “All the kids are informed of their duty at the age of fifteen. Currently, the only ones who don’t know are Yang Yang, Chenle, and of course, Jisung.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Junmyeon suddenly asked. Kyungsoo sighed, knowing what she means. “Jisung will also join if he displays signs of having an ability. Since he’s already turning six, and due to the fact that his mother is a Guardian, his chances of having an ability is greatly heightened.” She said.

“I know.” Kyungsoo sighed again. “I know that. That’s why I’m afraid of him aging, at the same time, I want him to grow up already. It doesn’t make any sense but…….” She breathed in a heavy breath before continuing. “We all know abilities starts manifesting at that age. Especially now that he’s surrounded by people with abilities.”

Kyungsoo learned about how people can manifest powers when she first met Johnny and the others. Johnny’s father had explained to her the nature and behavior of abilities – how he got his information, Kyungsoo doesn’t know. They all know that powers weren’t just simply given to them. Kyungsoo and the other Guardians learned from Jiwon that people who were gifted by the Tree of Life always had their powers with them ever since they were born. It’s only a matter of time before they actually show up. Added to that, Kyungsoo learned that the behavior and manifestation of powers only appear either when the user has acknowledged the fact that he or she has powers and starts using it – it’s entirely based on the wielder’s mental state of acceptance – or if he or she is greatly exposed to people who also has abilities.

Doyoung told her that he always thought something was different with him and he always believed that until he discovered that he has powers. Yuta and Taeil got exposed to Taeyong’s brother and became acquainted with Doyong. A little while later, their powers showed up. Taemin, Taeyong’s brother, knew about his powers. Mark was exposed to him. Donghuck and Jeno were exposed to the two. Taeyong was exposed to the four, Taeil, Yuta and Doyoung. What baffles Kyungsoo is the fact that Taeyong’s ability still hasn’t shown up even after all the exposure. Until now, she still doesn’t know what she does but she knows that she has abilities.

This is only a theory, however. Johnny’s father came up with it. The only ones who don’t fit the theory are Taeyong, Kun, Ten, Sicheng, Jaehyun and Jungwoo. Obviously, the Huang brothers were exposed to Jungwoo. Yang Yang was exposed to Minseok’s presence when the older was in Berlin. Jaemin knows about his ability and Chenle was exposed to him when they were put under the same roof (Kyungsoo got that information from Taeyong on the day they got back from the laboratory).

The aforementioned six are the only ones who don’t fit the theory and the reason behind how their abilities showed up is a mystery to everyone. Or, for Taeyong’s case, the reason why her ability is still not showing up despite acknowledging and being exposed to all of the others’ presence.

Since they haven’t found people who were manifesting abilities over the age of twenty, Johnny’s father concluded that abilities only show up in a younger age. If they passed the age limit, they either can’t unlock their abilities forever, or they don’t have an ability at all. That’s why they’ve limited their search for gifted people to children. That’s why Taeyong has a lot of kids under her roof.

That’s also why Taeyong has completely given up on the idea that she could unlock her abilities when everyone else is determined to find out what she does, even when she’s already three years past the limit.

The theory is the reason why Kyungsoo is afraid that Jisung would eventually exhibit abilities of his own. After all, he wasn’t under Taeyong’s care because he’s gifted with an ability, but because Kyungsoo asked the younger to take care of him because she couldn’t. The fact that Kyungsoo is a Guardian – holding one of the four core elements, no less – and with all the exposure Jisung got – and still gets – from people with abilities, as Junmyeon said before, Jisung’s chances of having an ability is tremendously high.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know if she wants that or not.

On one hand, she would be even more proud of him than she already was if he has one. But on the other, Jisung would have the life Kyungsoo has already experienced and has tried hard to prevent Jisung from having.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what she wants anymore.

“What about Chaeyoung?” Junmyeon asked after a while, clearly seeing that Kyungsoo was feeling uneasy with the topic. Kyungsoo will never be _not_ grateful for her leader.

“Chaeyoung is another story.” Johnny said with a sigh, also seeing Kyungsoo’s uneasiness. “I had a hunch that something like this might happen, so I’ve made plans. I still have to talk with Chanyeol-hyung even though, technically, Chaeyoung’s nineteen now.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but ask.

“She said that she doesn’t have any abilities, she said that she can’t feel anything different with herself, and since her risk of manifesting one in her current age is very low, only a year below the limit, she might get hit in the crossfire if ever something happened to the house.” Johnny explained. “So, we decided that it’s probably the best if she lived somewhere far away but still has someone watching over her.”

“And where is that?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes wider than usual.

“We were planning on sending her to Thailand.”

“Thailand?” Junmyeon asked out loud.

“Yes, Thailand.” Kun nodded, pulling up his screens. “As you know, Kyungsoo-noona, Ten is in Thailand with his brothers and his sister.” He said, pulling out a photo of Ten.

“Yes, I am aware.” Kyungsoo nodded. She almost never sees Ten – she’s sure the others don’t usually see him, either, since he’s studying theatrical arts and he usually stays in his home country with his siblings – but, Kyungsoo did meet him. She knows that he’s part of NEO City’s inner circle, too, but unlike the others – much more like Taeyong – he doesn’t directly work for Johnny. Though, for some reason, Kyungsoo forgot what his ability does. She thinks it has something to do with healing, though.

“He and his family has already agreed to take care of Chaeyoung until everything settles.” Johnny explained. “Ten is just waiting for Chanyeol-hyung’s permission.”

“And does Chaeyong agree?” Kyungsoo raised a brow.

“She was the one who suggested it, actually.” Yoongi said from the corner of the couch.

“Ten and his family visited a while back and Chaeyoung and his sister hit off almost as immediately as Chenle and Jisung did.” Kun explained with a soft sigh. “Lisa almost didn’t want to leave, too.” Kyungsoo met Ten’s family, too. She likes all of them. They’re all nice, especially Lisa, their energetic last born.

“So, when you told her that she needed to keep her distance to keep her safe, she suggested that she could go live with Lisa and the others?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Precisely.” Johnny nodded. “Ten and his siblings agreed to it just as immediately, too.”

“Well, good luck trying to convince Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo huffed as she leaned back. “That’s going to be tough, I’ll tell you that.”

“We know.” Johnny nodded. “But I’m sure he’ll agree if we let Chaeyoung talk to him.”

“Let’s see.”

Right after their talk, Johnny and Junmyeon stayed inside the library to talk among themselves. Kun was dismissed but he had to meet up with his team of analysists who checked on the laboratory earlier that day so he excused himself to leave. Kyunghoon was called in for a very, _very_ urgent meeting – in the unholy hour of eleven in the evening, which was in three hours – in Min finances’ company building in Seoul so he left shortly after, immediately driving to the city. That left Yoongi and Kyungsoo, who stayed in the living room, watching Jisung play around with his toys as he watched cartoons on the television because Chaeyoung went upstairs to talk to his brother. Probably to speak to him about the same thing they were just talking about in the library just minutes ago.

“Baby don’t eat that.” Kyungsoo said as she leaned forwards on the couch. Yoongi was beside her, also watching the carton Jisung was watching. He seemed to be very much into it, too, even though his face doesn’t look like it.

“I’m not, mommy.” Her baby said with a large smile. “I’m just trying to open this. Lele-hyung hid something in it, but I don’t know what.” he said, attempting to pry open the small hexagon shaped box in his hands.

“Well, if Chenle did hide something inside, it would probably be a piece of paper or probably a small toy.” Yoongi said from the couch, fixing his position. “You can’t fit much inside.”

“Let me see.” Kyungsoo gently said as she kneeled on the carpet, facing Jisung. the child stood from his spot on the carpet to sit on Kyungsoo’s lap, both of them facing front. Kyungsoo wrapped her arms around Jisung from the back before she took the small hexagon box in her hands, fiddling with it for a bit. “This is new. I’ve never seen this before.” She said as she looked at the sides, looking at the designs around it.

“Hoonie-samcheon gave it to me. Right, Yoonie-samcheon?” Jisung glanced back at Yoongi.

“Kyunghoon-oppa did?” Kyungsoo raised a brow at Yoongi as she, too, looked back.

“Yeah.” Yoongi nodded, looking bored – he always looked like that. “He said he found it lying around the house and he gave it to Jisung.” he said, keeping his eyes glued to the television.

“Did samcheon say, exactly, where he found it?” Kyungsoo looked at the child in her arms.

“He said it was inside a drawer upstairs.” Jisung replied, looking up at Kyungsoo with his small eyes.

“I think this has a partner.” Kyungsoo said, rubbing her thumb over at one side of the hexagon box. “Or it’s probably a piece of a bigger box.”

“But Hoonie-samcheon only found one?” Jisung asked, looking at the box.

“Probably.” Kyungsoo hummed.

“Did you look where hyung said he found it?” Yoongi asked from behind them. Jisung nodded as he turned back to the older.

“I did. It was very dusty in there, too.” Jisung made a sour face. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but chuckle. “There were a lot of things there, too. They were very old! But they looked nice, though.” the child said.

“Well, I think we need to find the other pieces to complete the look.” Kyungsoo lightly shook the hexagon box, hearing and feeling something jiggle inside. She tried to open the box again but she failed… again.

“It’s too small for anything but jewelry.” She said, inspecting the box. “What could it be?” she asked to no one in particular.

“I want to know, too.” Jisung pouted, sagging against Kyungsoo. “Jaemin-hyung said I should protect it but how can I protect it if I don’t know what I’m protecting?”

“Was Jaemin the one who told you Chenle hid something inside?” Kyungsoo asked, ruffling Jisung’s hair.

“Yeah. He said he saw Lele-hyung put something in it before he put it back to where I usually leave it. He also said that he thought Lele-hyung will tell me about it but so far, he’s not saying anything about anything.” Jisung pouted. Kyungsoo and Yoongi looked at each other with the same thought.

“Why don’t you ask Chenle about it when you go back? Ask him to open it up for you, too.” Yoongi suggested, sitting up properly. Kyungsoo glanced at the television and saw that the cartoon he was watching already ended. The credits were already rolling.

“But for the meantime, you’re going to sleep, mister.” Kyungsoo scooped Jisung up on his feet before she stood up, herself. She gently ruffled Jisung’s light brown hair.

“I’ll clean and lock up. Let him sleep.” Yoongi said from the couch, reaching for the remote to close the television.

“Alright, then.” Kyungsoo said, passing behind the couch with Jisung in front of her. The five-year-old pulling her by the hand. She stopped for a brief moment behind Yoongi, looking down at her brother, who was keeping his eyes glued on the ceiling.

“Go drink a glass of water, Jisung.” The boy immediately nodded and skipped happily to the kitchen. Once he was out of earshot, Kyungsoo looked down at Yoongi.

“Don’t think you’ve gotten away with what you did, Yoongi. Our conversation three weeks ago is still not yet done.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be free from your wrath, Mi. I won’t say anything else because I’d rather not have another bruise on my stomach after the thousandth that you gave me after that conversation.”

“I said that we’re not yet done, but I didn’t say that I won’t forgive you.” Kyungsoo sighed, ruffling Yoongi’s brown hair before she let herself get dragged to the stairs by her son, who just showed up from the kitchen.

“Good night, Yoonie-samcheon!”

“Night, Jisung.”

“Good night, Gi.”

“Night, Mi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that happened.
> 
> NEXT UP: They talk. He gathers information while they do. That's it. He does nothing else.


	37. CHANYEOL

Chanyeol blinked once. Then twice. Then Thrice.

Chaeyoung just sat in front of him, smiling her heart out, her eyes crinkling and her pearly white teeth showing.

“I’m sorry, I think something is wrong with my hearing.” The older said, ruffling his hair. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

“Oh, I think you did.” The younger said with a grin. “Don’t deny it, oppa.” She chuckled, holding Chanyeol’s pillow close to her.

“Fine. So, let me get this straight.” Chanyeol said before he sighed at the impending headache coming his way. “You want to live in Thailand?”

“Yes.” Chaeyoung answered with a nod, her eyes shining.

“And you’re asking permission?”

“Yes.”

“And since I’m technically your legal guardian, you’re asking me?”

“Precisely.”

“What do you think is my answer?”

“A ‘yes’?”

Chanyeol sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m too young for this.” He said with a groan. “Literally.” He muttered.

“Taeyong-unnie said that in order to keep me safe, I need to move away.”

“Move away.” Chanyeol repeated with a raised brow. He lowered his hand and let it sit in front of him.

“Yes, and frankly, I’m alright with it.” his sister replied, playing with the sheets of his bed.

They were in Chanyeol’s bedroom. Despite it being nighttime, Chanyeol had been walking along the halls of the second floor, checking inside every room that he sees since the kids were already away. Knowing that Junmyeon was talking to Johnny and Kun at the library at the end of the hallway, Chanyeol decided to stay away from that area for the time being. A little after eight in the evening, he returned back to his room completely exhausted, even when all he did was walk around all day – well, he did see Minseok walk towards the forest out back from the balcony of the second floor when he passed by the large windows, and he thought it was interesting but when the older disappeared from his sight, he went back to his room. He had been staring up in the brightly lit sky when Chaeyoung came knocking on his bedroom door, telling him that she wanted to talk to him about something.

That something turned out to be his sister wanting to leave.

“I don’t know, Chae.” He muttered as he laid down on his bed, trying his best not to hit Chaeyoung, who was sitting on the corner of the mattress, with his long limbs. “I just got back….”

“I know, but it’s fine, right?” Chaeyoung expectantly looked up at him.

“I’m not sure about this.” Chanyeol replied, not giving in to his sister’s cute antics.

“Think of it this way, oppa,” Chaeyoung said with a bright smile. “Without me here, but knowing that I’m safe, you can focus more on your mission.” She said.

Chanyeol hummed, deeply thinking. She was right, in a way. If Chaeyoung would leave, then there won’t be any hindrances around Chanyeol, but Chanyeol needs someone to get information from. Since Chaeyoung is already close to Johnny and the others, it would save Chanyeol a tremendous amount of time if he just asked his sister about the things he wanted to know. Of course, there was the option of Chanyeol asking Jaehyun, but he thinks Jaehyun would be too busy to answer Chanyeol’s every question.

Chanyeol groaned, burying his face on his pillow. “I don’t know, Chaeyoung.” He said, his words becoming muffled because of the pillow.

“I think it’s fine.” Chayoung said with a small smile. “Especially now that you…. Uhm… don’t have your powers anymore….” she suddenly quieted.

Silence loomed over them instantly.

“But I still have mine.”

“What?”

A tiny flame came out from the palm of Chanyeol’s hand. A faint red light spread across the room as the small flame in his palm danced and swayed.

“But-,” Chaeyoung gasped. “But I thought-,”

“You’re right; They are gone.” Chanyeol said, sitting up. The flame still danced slowly, illuminating the room and providing a bit of heat. “For most of us, at least.”

“For most of you?” Chaeyoung asked, confusion mixing with awe in her face.

“You know that Yixing-hyung’s ability didn’t get taken, right?” Chanyeol turned to his sister, his eyes unreadable.

“Yes, I know.” Chayeoung nodded. “ _They_ couldn’t take it because of some unknown reason.”

“I have a theory for that but I don’t have anything to prove it. I don’t exactly have evidence because……”

“Because?”

“No, never mind.” Chanyeol sighed as his gaze turned to his sister.

“And there are some of us whose powers weren’t completely taken from us.” he said, his gaze turning back down, watching his red flame with small, narrowed eyes. “One of those, or maybe the only one, is me. But I highly doubt that. The Core Elements are hard to battle all at once, you know.”

“Wait, the core Elements?” Chaeyoung tipped her head to the side. “Do you mean the four elements?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol replied with a nod. “Fire, water, earth and air.”

“Does that mean, aside from you, Kyungsoo-unnie, Junmyeon-unnie and Sehun-oppa still have theirs?” Chaeyoung gasped in awe when Chanyeol nodded. “But, I haven’t heard of such thing!”

“I’m not sure if it’s the same for the three of them but for me, I can still feel mine. It’s still there, somewhere, hiding.” He said, his voice low. “But it constantly feels like it’s going to die soon, _very soon._ ” He closed his fist and the red flame was gone.

“That’s why I don’t use it.” he looked at his sister.

“If that is your last chance of fight against _them,_ then don’t use it, stupid.” Chaeyoung said sternly. “’Conserve your energy’, as I always heard from Taeyong-unnie when she’s teaching the others.” She smiled brightly.

“Wait, what?”

“What do you mean?”

“Taeyong’s the one training them? All of them?” Chanyeol asked as he placed a finger over his chin, striking a thinking pose. “But, I thought….” he muttered to himself

“Yep! Jaehyun-oppa comes and teaches along with her, too.” his sister said, apparently not hearing Chanyeol’s muttering.

“But I thought that Taeyong’s ability doesn’t come out. How can she teach the others?” Chanyeol dropped his pose, looking at his sister.

“That’s why Jaehyun-oppa helps, dummy. He helps on the practical use of abilities. You know, like when to use your ability, what to do when things happen, like that. But of course, they are all different so it’s a bit difficult for them to teach some of them.” Chaeyoung huffed as Chanyeol hummed again.

“Hey, what does Jaehyun do?” he asked, looking at his sister.

“What do you mean?” Chaeyoung tipped her head to the side again.

“His ability.” Chanyeol answered, looking outside the window and seeing nothing but stars. “What does it do?”

“He haven’t shown you guys, yet?” Chaeyoung asked, surprise evident in her tone. “Well, he did say something about……”

“About what?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Chanyeol frowned before he sighed. “Well, we didn’t exactly have that much time because we were rushing to get you.” He said with a small smile. “We did get along, pretty well, but the topic never went to his abilities. We were rushing, during that time.”

“Well, it’s not my place to say what he does.” Chaeyoung said, looking a little nervous. “Even if I could tell you, I don’t even think that I can fully describe his ability. I, myself, have only seen it once. And trust me, you don’t want to know what they did that day. It was a dark day at the house.” Chaeyoung visibly shuddered.

“Why?” Chanyeol asked before he could even stop himself.

“His ability…. Well…. It’s very complicated….” His sister answered with uncertainty in her voice. “The same goes for Sicheng-oppa and Taeil-oppa. Their abilities are, somewhat, related to each other, too.”

“Who are those?” the older among the two raised a brow at the other.

“You’ll probably meet them soon.” Chaeyoung smiled. “The three of them have the most mysterious abilities, in my opinion.” She continued. “Including Mark, that makes four of them. But, unlike the three older, Mark’s ability is not related to theirs at all. It’s still cool, though.”

“Mark.... one of Taeyong’s cousins, right?” Chaeyoung nodded at her brother’s question. “Does he stay with Taeyoung often?”

“Nope.” Chaeyoung answered with a shake of her head. “He’s usually in Chicago with Taeil-oppa. But he’s mostly with Johnny-oppa, though. He never leaves his side, aside from instances such as this, when neither of them have the time to look after him.”

“So, when Johnny and Taeil are busy, they leave Mark with Taeyong and the rest of the kids?”

“Yep!”

Chanyeol hummed.

“Among the people I live with, Mark’s ability is the most interesting. For me, that is. But, I like Guan Heng’s ability because it’s so cool!” His sister beamed after a while of silence in between them. “For the older people that I’ve met, the three I’ve mentioned before hits the mark.”

“Have you seen them use their abilities often?” Chanyeol asked.

“No, actually.” His sister answered. “That’s just it.” she said. “The fact that we don’t get to see them use their abilities that much, or the fact that we never see them use it in front of us makes their abilities more and more mysterious than it already is. But, I think I’m exaggerating things. Their abilities might not be that interesting, but it sure is powerful.” She muttered the last bits to herself.

“Do you see them often?” Chanyeol looked at his sister with determined eyes. “Those three, I mean. Do you see them often when you’re in the house?”

“Jaehyun-oppa, yes, I see him often since, as I said before, he trains the kids with Taeyong-unnie. But he’s always with Doyoung-oppa or Johnny-oppa when they go to the house. He’s occasionally with Taeyong-unnie. too. I’ve never seen him go to the house alone, or be alone, for that matter.” Chaeyoung answered as she fixed her posture into a thinking pose. “I wonder why….?” Her brows furrowed for a moment before her expression was gone as soon as it came.

Chanyeol knows exactly why.

“Anyways, Sicheng-oppa is always at China since he works at their branch there. He visits us often, though.” Chaeyoung continued. “At this time around, though, he’s, somewhat, busy in China, so it’s been a while since he came and visited us.”

“And Taeil?” Chanyeol asked. “What about him?”

“Since Taeil-oppa is directly under Johnny-oppa’s rank, along with Yuta-oppa, they’re always very busy with work, too. The three of them are always together when they’re visiting on a normal day. But, if their visiting because they have business in South Korea, Taeil-oppa usually stays behind, while Yuta-oppa drives Johnny-oppa around. When Johnny-oppa needs to travel around the world, Taeil-oppa occasionally manages their main office in Chicago, while Yuta-oppa manages the one here in South Korea.”

“So Jaehyun is never alone, Sicheng is always in China, Taeil is always in Chicago, and Yuta is always here.” Chanyeol hummed, deep in thought once again. Chaeyoung raised a brow as she tipped her head.

“If you were to rank the abilities of every gifted person you’ve met, how will you rank them?” He suddenly asked, clearly startling his sister.

“I almost forgot your voice is just as loud as Yukhei’s.” Chaeyoung sighed after breathing in and out at a hastened speed. When her breathing slowed and evened back to its original pace, she looked at her brother with a questioning expression.

“What brought this on?” she asked, her expression suddenly looking suspicious.

“Well, since we don’t have our powers anymore, we need people who can at least fight, right? Even when they aren’t fighting with us, they could fight to protect their own.” Chanyeol reasoned, trying his best not to look smug. “We need alternatives.” He said and Chaeyoung seemed to take his reasoning after a few seconds of thinking.

“The first ones would be you guys, of course. There’s no doubt about that.” Chaeyoung looked up the ceiling, pondering hard. “From Taeil-oppa to Chenle, I would say that the most powerful among them would be Taeil-oppa and Sicheng-oppa.”

“But I though you still haven’t seen much of what they can do?” Chanyeol cut in after Chaeyoung’s pause.

“Exactly.” His sister replied, eyes shining in awe. “As I said before, it’s complicated enough that you can’t help but think of what they could do!” she said with a grin. “Though, I think their abilities are much more helpful outside of battle. It’s not really fit for combat…. Sicheng-oppa, maybe a little, but…….” she muttered. Chanyeol could barely hear what she said.

“What was that?” he asked even though he heard almost everything. He needed to test something.

“I said nothing.” Chaeyoung smiled sheepishly. Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at his sister when the younger turned to the ceiling to think again. His test succeeded.

She’s definitely hiding something from him.

Definitely.

Chanyeol’s going to find out what.

“The next would be Kun-oppa, Ten-oppa and Jaehyun-oppa.” Chaeyoung said, still looking up at the ceiling. “But only Kun-oppa’s ability can actually be used for combat. Ten-oppa and Jaehyun-oppa is like the two I said before; they’re fitted behind the actual battle.”

“What does Ten do?” Chanyeol called from where he was sitting.

“You’ll probably find out when he comes to get me.” Chaeyoung chuckled before she smiled smugly. “That is, of course, when you agree that I’ll be living in Thailand while you work on your mission.”

She’s definitely hiding something.

“Next would be Jungwoo, Doyoung-oopa and Yuta-oppa. You know what they do, already, so yeah. Next are Mark and Guan Heng, if they learn how to control their ability, then Yukhei. Guan Heng and Jungwoo are surely fitted for battle, I’ll tell you that.”

“Jungwoo’s the guy who’s the same age as you, right?”

“Yep!”

“I know if I’m going to ask what Jungwoo, Yukhei and Guan Heng does, I know you’re going to say something along the lines of ‘you’ll see’ and ‘it’s not my place to say’.”

“Spot on!” Chaeyoung giggled. Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, too. “Anyways, after them, I’m not quite sure how to rank the others.”

“Why?”

“Well, the rest are the younger ones. They can’t control their abilities that much, yet, so I don’t know how strong they will become if they actually get to control and use them.”

“But if they do, who’s the most useful in combat?”

“That would be Jeno, Donghyuk and Jaemin. The rest are better for strategies and behind the scenes actions. But, of course, this is only my opinion. Maybe the younger ones are a lot stronger than the older ones. Maybe even more than you initially think. All that I can tell you is that they’re all more special than they think they really are, oppa.”

Chanyeol hummed, processing everything he’s heard so far.

“So, to sum it up, the people who can fight are Kun, Jungwoo, Guan Heng, Jeno, Donghyuk, and Jaemin. But, you’re not going to tell me what they do so all that I can confirm for now is that Kun can fight.” He said, his brows raised.

“Yep!”

“Outside of abilities, who can actually fight, Chae? Chanyeol asked, lying back on his mattress, looking at the ceiling in silence. “Like, who can ditch their abilities and punch and kick?”

“Yuta-oppa, Jaehhyun-oppa and Sicheng oppa are the most dangerous because they can actually fight with their bare hands. Yuta-oppa, even more than the others, because he can wield firearms and knives the best among them.” Chaeyoung answered.

“That makes sense, since he’s Johnny’s guard.” The oldest in the room said. “Plus, I think I got an idea when we first met.” He muttered.

“Exactly, but it’s not like Johnny-oppa can’t fight.” Chaeyoung said with a shrug. “If you ask me, the best build among them is him. I mean, have you seen his arms?!” she exaggerated. “I know that he’s just not showing it but he actually knows how to fight. Maybe even better than those I’ve said earlier.”

Chanyeol hummed in response.

“And, I’ll just warn you, oppa.” Chaeyoung suddenly kept her voice low. “When you meet Taeil-oppa, don’t underestimate him. Like, seriously, he knows it when you think lowly of him.”

“What?” Chanyeol’s brows furrowed.

“Just, don’t underestimate him, like, even for a second. He might not be much on appearance but he can put a bullet in your head even before you could greet him a ‘hello’.” Chaeyoung shuddered before she sighed.

“But I think you won’t be meeting for a bit. I heard that they’re bringing in another kid, too.” she said as she stared at the ceiling.

“Who’s the new kid?” Chanyeol suddenly asked.

“I’m not sure of the name, but I heard from Jungwoo that he’s from China. His ability’s amazing, too!” his sister enthusiastically said. Chanyeol raised a brow.

“I heard he can stop time!”

What?

“What?” Chanyeol voiced out, his eyes widening even more.

“Opps, I’m not supposed to say that.” Chaeyoung sheepishly looked away as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Pretend you didn’t hear anything.

“Nope, too late! You’ve said it already and now you have to tell me.” Chanyeol said smugly, smirking at his sister.

“Alright, but don’t tell anyone that I’ve told you this!” the younger said before Chanyeol nodded. “As I said before, he’s a kid from China. Well, actually, he isn’t a kid since he’s seventeen. He’s the same age as Mark and our older set of twins.” His sister said.

“Seventeen? I thought Taeyong only takes in the younger kids?”

“He’s actually a special case, Jungwoo said.” Chaeyoung fixed her posture. “What’s interesting about him is that he didn’t exist until now.”

“What?” Chanyeol raised a brow.

“Jungwoo said that he didn’t exist in any database until the day – three weeks ago, roughly the same week you guys appeared – he showed up out of nowhere in the ocean.”

“The ocean? What?”

“A small cruise ship heading to Guam rescued him from a small boat that was casted into the ocean. They were surprised that his boat didn’t get wrecked or even get turned over due to the waves. They got him aboard and nursed him until they reached Guam.”

“Then, what happened?”

“He only woke up two days ago. He’s being kept in the hospital, under monitoring and observation. He remembers his name, he remembers that he used to live in China, but he doesn’t remember anything else. He’s like a character straight from a cliché book, if you ask me.”

“How the hell did he travel across countries and oceans in a freaking boat?”

“That is what Johnny-oppa and the others doesn’t know. Jungwoo said that they’re still looking into it.”

“Alright, this is giving me a headache. So, why don’t they take him yet?”

“They’re having trouble with the custody and stuff. He doesn’t have parents. Or any relatives, for that matter. As I said before, he didn’t exist until three weeks ago.”

Chanyeol hummed. “That makes sense. Since he disappeared from the database but remembers that he’s from China, the American and Chinese government are probably going crazy as to who he is. Mind you, I don’t want to know anything about their feud this time. Added to that, the kid is still a minor.”

“Yeah. That’s the reason why they can’t get to him, yet. Actually, no one is allowed to go near him. He’s still being protected in Guam.” Cheyoung said, her tone a bit sad.

“Wait, how did Johnny know that he has an ability of no one is allowed to see him?” Chanyeol turned to his sister with a raised brow. “Isn’t it impossible to go there, too, since Johnny and the others were out investigating the laboratory?”

“They didn’t need to go there to know.”

“How?”

“Kun-oppa’s ability, of course! He can do anything!” Chaeyoung beamed. “Without visiting the kid, he knows already knows that he has an ability. And he knows what’s his ability, too. Amazing, right? Though, he still doesn’t know why and how the kid’s data was erased from existence.”

“So Kun found out he has an ability _and_ he also found his profile – his supposed to be, non-existent profile?”

“Yeah. Three days is all he needs. The boy wasn’t even conscious and Kun-oppa already knows everything about him. Of course, they’re not telling that to the Government. They might question where they found his profile.”

“Kun did all that in three days?”

“Yep.”

“He’s kind of amazing.” Chanyeol’s brows furrowed, in deep thought once again for the nth time that night. He’s sure that his head will absolutely be aching when tomorrow comes.

“I told you, he can do anything.” Chaeyoung smirked. “He’s like the shorter version of Johnny-oppa. With abilities, of course.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on Chanyeol’s door.

“Chaeyoung, sorry to interrupt your time with your brother, but it’s time to sleep.” Junmyeon’s voice came through the wooden door. “It’s already eleven in the evening.” She said.

“Yes, unnie!” Chaeyoung called back, sitting up.

“Wash up and I’ll check on your room in fifteen minutes, okay?”

“Yes, unnie!” Right after that, footsteps going away from Chanyeol’s door was heard until there were no more sounds coming from outside of his room. Both Chanyeol and Chaeyoung knew Junmyeon probably went to check on the others, as she always did every night.

“Did we seriously talk for almost three hours?” Chaeyoung turned to Chanyeol.

“It’s not my fault you ranted earlier about being the only girl in the house when Taeyong’s not around.” Chanyeol replied smugly.

“Boys are hard to deal with.” Chaeyoung huffed. “Especially when you’re older than all of them.”

“Aren’t you the same age as Jungwoo?”

“That’s beside the point, oppa.”

“Go to sleep, Chae, we’ll talk about everything tomorrow.” Chanyeol said as he stood, walking towards his sister. “Maybe I’ll consider you living in Thailand when daybreak comes.”

“You better.” Chaeyoung huffed again before Chanyeol ruffled her light hair. They both chuckled for a moment before Chaeyoung stood and walked towards the door, opening the wooden slab.

“Good night, oppa.” She called over her shoulder.

“Good night, Chae.” Chanyeol replied with a light smile.

Chaeyoung closed the lights before she pulled the door behind her and left Chanyeol in the dark, ready to ponder on the information he just gathered.

From a distance, he could hear Jongdae’s voice whining.

“Seriously, that guy’s annoying.” An irk mark appeared in Chanyeol’s forehead as he whispered to himself. He sighed, calming down when Jongdae’s voice faded away.

He stared up the ceiling, trying to recall everything.

“Taeil, Sicheng and Jaehyun’s abilities are related to each other, but all of them are cautious about it. They don’t show it to anyone.” He talked softly to himself.

“The older ones are usually not alone; they’re always with Johnny, but Johnny often goes on travel around the world.”

Chanyeol raised his brows in thought.

“The older ones also have the strongest abilities, but even outside powers, they’re still strong. Yuta will bite, everyone knows that. Beware of Taeil, whoever that is.”

Chanyeol frowned.

“Mark stays with Johnny in Chicago. Taeil looks after him when Johnny’s not there. He stays with Taeyong when there’s no one to look after him, or when Johnny’s in South Korea.”

Chanyeol sighed.

“Among the older ones, only Kun’s, Jungwoo’s and Guan Heng’s abilities are good for fighting. Added to them, half of the kids’ abilities are good for combat and the other half are good for planning and behind the battle.”

Chanyeol sat up properly.

“There’s another kid who Johnny’s struggling to get custody over. Jungwoo says the kid can stop time. Sounds like Zitao, to me, but he’s dead so it can’t be him. The kid doesn’t remember anything but his name and where he came from. He didn’t exist until less than a month ago,”

Chanyeol sighed as he stood from his bed, pacing around his bedroom while thinking. He gained so much information, yet so little at the same time. Chaeyoung’s keeping something from him and he needs to squeeze it out of her before he sends her off to Thailand. Once she’s there, he can’t get a hold of her anymore.

She’s right about one thing, though. If she’s there, Chanyeol can focus on his mission. He still needs her to be here, though. Where else would he get information from? He could just ask but he’s not that close with anyone except for Jaehyun, yet.

“What is she hiding from me?” he asked himself in a whisper. “I’m her brother, she should tell me everything.” his brows furrowed as he stopped his pacing to look at the sky though the window.

Chanyeol suddenly heard the gates open. He looked outside and saw a car pulling up next to the other cars present in the lot at the corner of the land. He went towards the next window since his room was one of the rooms that allowed him to view the front lawn through two windows. When he peered outside, being careful not to be seen, he saw Kun go out of the car and walk across the stone walkway towards the house. He was walking with his holographic screens out, surrounding him from all sides. From Chanyeol’s view he could see what was written on the screens surrounding the younger male, but he couldn’t read any of what was there. Kun seemed very absorbed in reading what’s on his screens, though.

Suddenly, Kun stopped, swiping at his holograms. He was talking to himself but Chanyeol couldn’t hear what he was saying since the younger was standing a bit far away from him. Seconds later, Kun started walking again and this time, he pulled his holographic screens away, the glow around him disappearing as he was engulfed in darkness.

“Qian Kun, huh?” Chanyeol whispered, watching the younger male’s every move intently. Kun disappeared from his sight after the younger stepped up on the patio, the patio roof blocking Chanyeol’s view.

“I wonder what else he can do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is almost ending.......
> 
> NEXT UP: Calls, it's always calls. He's beginning to get sick of it. They think he doesn't notice, but he's the first one to always notice. He always knows.


	38. MINSEOK

Minseok stood still as he heard the steady beeping coming from his phone, indicating that the person he was calling has hung up on him. He sighed as he gently lowered the phone from his ear, bringing it up in front of him.

“He was the one who called me and he’s the one who calls it off.” Minseok grumbled, clutching his phone hard on his hand. He scowled at the screen.

“How dare he hang up on me.” he hissed, angrily shutting his phone before pocketing it at the inner pocket of his jacket. He hissed to himself, looking up at the trees, watching the moonlight pass through the gaps in the trees’ leaves.

“When’s the last time I saw this view?” he asked himself, looking at the stars that twinkled in the dark blanket over him.

“Oh, yeah. This is the first time.” He sighed, closing his eyes.

A sudden rustle made him alert. Someone was walking towards him, slowly stepping closer and closer. Minseok scowled at his sides, trying to find out where the rustling was coming from.

“Min?”

He suddenly turned around at the voice of his counterpart, shocked to see her standing a few feet behind him, wrapped in a thin jacket. Her arms were wrapped around herself, clearly fighting off the cold. She was wearing shorts, too, and it made Minseok disapprovingly shake his head.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, walking towards his partner as he removed his coat, draping it on Junmyeon’s shoulders. It was larger than her so his coat swallowed her body whole. Well, it was warm and comfy so it was fine. Plus, Minseok kind of liked it when he saw Junmyeon wearing something that was his.

“You know that we don’t have our powers now so the cold should bother you more than it normally should. I know that you’re sensitive like that.” He scolded the younger. Back then, because of their abilities, both Minseok and Junmyeon didn’t get bothered by the cold – Minseok even more so than the younger – but now, he knew Junmyeon’s probably shivering because he felt that her skin was already cold.

“I thought I would take just a minute or two to find you.” Junmyeon sheepishly looked up at him with a smile. “How should I know you would be this deep inside the forest?” she said with a slight pout. Minseok stared at her face a bit longer than he should’ve before he snapped at himself.

“Would it kill you to take your own advice? You’re always scolding us but you literally do the same. You damn hypocrite.” Minseok said, flicking Junmyeon in the forehead. The younger whined for a bit before she slipped her arms through Minseok’s coat, her tiny hands slightly poking out from the sleeves.

“Shorts, a shirt, a think jacket? You always get angry at me or the others when we go out in the cold wearing those.” Minseok sighed, looking down at the woman.

“Well, I went out to look for you because Kyungsoo said dinner’s almost ready. I didn’t expect to take fifteen minutes to actually find you. Plus, I didn’t think that this forest is so thick.” She replied as she took Minseok’s hand and began pulling him back to the house.

“You should’ve, at least, worn a coat, idiot.”

“Sorry.” Junmyeon chuckled. “I’ve been calling your name, earlier, but you didn’t answer. My throat kind of hurts now.”

“I was busy.” Minseok defended, walking in line with his counterpart, feeling the heat coming from his coat at his side. “Another call came and let’s just say that it got heated.”

“The next time you make a phone call, don’t wander so deep inside the forest. It’s so hard to find you here.” Junmyeon looked up at him before she faced forwards.

“Yes, ma’am.” Minseok saluted with his other hand. Junmyeon chuckled beside him.

“Who were you talking to, anyway?” she suddenly asked after a short second of silence. “It’s my first time asking you this. You always disappear to call someone, and I can’t help but be curious.”

“Just a pesky friend.” Minseok answered confidently, smiling at Junmyeon.

“From Berlin or from here?” the younger asked, tipping her head to the side as she glanced at him.

“I’m not exactly sure, actually. He’s always switching places; He’s always travelling around the world.” He answered, looking up at the dark sky. “He was supposed to meet me at the end of next month, before we leave for Jeju. He called yesterday to tell me that our meet up is cancelled. I called him earlier this day, but I got ignored. I called a couple of times more to ask why he suddenly cancelled. He hung up on me when I called him just now.”

“What could you possibly be meeting for? I thought you just worked as a bartender at a café in Berlin?” Junmyeon asked just as they were nearing the boarder of the forest, the bright lights of the Min Household entering their vision.

“Well, one has to know at least a couple of people to talk to, Myeon.” Minseok looked down at his counterpart.

“Good point.” Junmyeon chuckled, looking at the house when they exited the forest, making Minseok do the same. From that distance, the large house looked so nice with the paintjob and the design of the house.

Minseok’s gaze suddenly shifted up and he could see Baekhyun and Chanyeol talking by the window of the shorter male’s room. He might not hear their conversation, but it seemed very, _very_ heated. Their faces were contorted into frowns, their eye brows were together, Baekhyun even looked like he was seething and was on the border of exploding. Chanyeol seemed to be angry, too, but he seemed to be standing his ground. Minseok furrowed his brows, scowling at the sight.

“What are you looking at?” Junmyeon suddenly asked, following his gaze. Minseok quickly pulled on Junmyeon’s hand to divert her gaze to him. “He – Hey!” she called at the sudden movement, clearly confused.

“Sorry, but I can feel your hand freezing, Myeon. Let’s go.” He lied, lightly pulling Junmyeon to walk in front of him – technically, it wasn’t a lie since he could feel the coldness of the younger’s hand, but he wanted to make sure she didn’t see the scene that was clearly happening in Baekhyun’s room; she might get worried and pry them to death if she saw. They were already near the house by the time Junmyeon stopped looking at him, probably trying to get answers. Minseok walked slightly behind the younger woman, glancing up at Baekhyun and Chanyeol. He wasn’t surprised when he saw that they were both looking at him with identical narrowed eyes. They both scowled at him before they each grabbed on one curtain and pulled, both of them disappearing from Minseok’s sight.

“So, is it important?” Junmyeon suddenly called from in front of him when he turned to face the front. “What you’re meeting for, is it important?”

“Oh, yeah. Kind of.” Minseok answered, looking at the younger. “He’s the one who suggested that we’d meet. He said he’s going to tell me something important. I’ll take his word for it.”

“But he was the one who called it off?” His counterpart asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah. At first, he insisted that we meet immediately, but then he said that it’s fine if I take my time.” He replied as they neared the Min Household’s back porch. “Then he suddenly cancels it a week before we meet.”

“Maybe something happened?” Junmyeon suggested, stepping up the back porch of the house. Minseok stepped up beside her.

“Maybe.” he shrugged, opening the door for both of them. He dragged the woman inside, closing the door behind them. “I might call him again tomorrow. Or maybe, he’ll beat me to it and he’ll call me. I really can’t understand that man.” He said, helping Junmyeon shrug out of his large coat.

“There you are!” Jongdae energetically called when he popped his head from the corner heading to the kitchen. “Kyungsoo said to sit down. We’ll bring the food out in three minutes.” He said with a kittenish smile on his face.

“I can help.” Junmyeon said after removing her shoes and lining them neatly in the corner with all the others. She and Jongdae disappeared through the short hallway towards the kitchen right after.

Minseok removed and lined his own shoes next to the others’ before he went to the living room to hang his coat by the rack, thinking about what he just witnessed only a minute ago.

Baekhyun seemed to be the one who’s throwing remarks at Chanyeol. The latter was not opening his mouth when Minseok saw them, but there was a scowl on his face when he was looking down at Baekhyun. Minseok’s brows knotted in thought. Chanyeol and Baekhyun seemed to be on good terms earlier that day. What could make them so angry at each other like that? They’re doing a good job being discrete about it, though, since Minseok doesn’t hear any screaming, or anyone saying that someone’s fighting with another. If his hunch was correct, they might put up an act when they come down for dinner.

Minseok just sighed, lightly dusting his coat. He made a mental note to talk to the two of them before he goes to bed. Maybe they would be calm enough by then. As soon as Minseok let go of his coat on the rack, rapid footsteps came from nowhere and before he knew it, a Jisung-sized koala wrapped his hands around his waist, twisting them around so that he was shielding the child.

“Jisung? What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to look at the child behind him.

“Sehunnie-samcheon is trying to bite me!!” Jisung cried. Minseok heard the laugh the child was trying to suppress.

“I’m Jongdae-hyung!” Sehun came barreling down the stairs with a roar. “I’m going to eat you!” Jisung squealed, laughing against Minseok’s back.

“Where is that boy who said that Jongdae-hyung’s scary?” Sehun roared again, looking around, imitating a dinosaur.

“Yah!” Jongdae suddenly appeared from the short hallway to the kitchen, as if he was summoned with the mere call of his name. “How is that supposed to be me?” he pointed at Sehun while whining.

“I’m a dinosaur.” Sehun roared again. “AKA Jongdae-hyung!”

Jisung screamed when Sehun suddenly advanced on him, circling around Minseok, and wrapping his hands around his tiny body. Minseok watched the two of them collapsed on the carpet in front of the television while laughing hard.

“An ugly dinosaur!!” Jisung screamed as he and Sehun rolled on the carpet. Minseok watched as Sehun tickled the child.

“Ha! Heard that, Jongdae-hyung?” Jongin suddenly appeared from the second floor, leaning over the railing. “He just called you ugly!”

“Yah!” Jongdae yelled. “If I’m ugly, then what does that make you, _dongsaeng_?” he hummed teasingly but Jongin just stuck his tongue out to him.

“Sehunnie-samcheon said to call you ugly.” Jisung said innocently as he and Sehun sat up properly after their round of playing.

There was silence between them for seconds.

Before someone yelled and hell started.

“Sehun!” Jongdae screamed, suddenly running towards their maknae. Sehun suddenly stood and ran around, trying his best to avoid Jongdae’s angry punches. Minseok sighed and went towards Jisung, who watched in awe at how fast the two were circling the whole living room. Jongin’s laughter from upstairs didn’t help at all but Minseok did admit, it was funny watching the two run around like children.

“Come on, you might get stepped on if you stay there any longer. I don’t want to be in the receiving end of Kyungsoo’s punches.” Minseok said as he lifted Jisung in his arms, slowly walking towards the entrance to the short hallway to the kitchen. Jisung wrapped his legs around Minseok’s waist as he looked at the two running around, his small hands clutching on to Minseok’s clothes.

“Is it true that Dae-samcheon is ugly?” Jisung asked innocently as he looked up at Minseok.

“Do you know what ugly means, Jisung?” the older asked, smiling at the child.

“I’m not entirely sure.” Jisung smiled sheepishly as he chuckled. “Sehunnie-samcheon just said to call him that.”

“It’s not good for someone to call another ugly.” Minseok said while looking at the two running. “But if it’s Jongdae, I might give an exception.”

“YAH!”

Minseok chuckled as Jisung laughed in his arms. A little while later, the door to the kitchen opened and Minseok wasn’t surprised to see the indifferent expression on Kyungsoo’s face the minute she stepped out of the kitchen.

“I came out to check what all the noise was about and _this_ is what I come to.” she said, voice monotone, as it usually is when she’s done with the world. “What’s wrong with these two, now?”

“They’re just doing what they do best. You have to admit though; this is the most normal thing they’ve done ever since we arrived here a month ago.” He said as he stood next to Kyungsoo.

“Yeah, that’s true.” She sighed. “I’m actually surprised that it wasn’t Baekhyun and Chanyeol running around. _They’re_ the ones who think that _this_ is completely normal.” Minseok made sure that Kyungsoo missed the way he frowned.

The younger turned to Minseok before she looked at Jisung. “Are you hungry, baby?” she asked as she bent down a bit to meet Jisung’s gaze.

“Yep!” Jisung said as he grinned widely. “Can we eat now?” he asked, looking up at Kyungsoo when she stood up properly.

“They’re serving dinner already.” Kyungsoo smiled at the child in Minseok’s arms.

“But first, you need to wash your hands.” Minseok said as he put the child down on the floor before standing up again and glaring at the two still running around the living room.

“Go on, Jisung, while I take care of these two.” He muttered as an irk mark appeared in his temple. He pulled up his sleeves and walked towards the two, grabbing both of them by the back of the collars at the same time when they passed by in front of him.

“Hyung!” both of them whined, reaching behind them in attempt to remove Minseok’s fingers away from their collars.

“Wow! Minnie-samcheon is so strong!” Jisung cheered from where Minseok left him.

“Of course he is.” Minseok heard Kyungsoo say. “Better wash your hands now before Minnie-samcheon does the same with you.” Jisung scurried towards the kitchen seconds later.

“Now, as for the two of you.” Kyungsoo said as Minseok presented the two troublemakers in front of her. “You’re cleaning the whole floor after eating.” She said, hands on her hips.

“But I helped cook!” Jongdae whined, still trying to pry Minseok’s fingers away.

“Yes, but you trashed the living room with Sehun, so you’ll help him fix up. Be thankful that Yoongi’s not here, or else, he might’ve let you clean even the second floor. If you think that I’m a clean freak, then he’s a monster.” Kyungsoo said as she huffed.

“Ooohhh, someone got in trouble.” Jongin called from the second floor.

“You’re helping them, Jongin.” Minseok said, looking at their other maknae with his sharp eyes.

“But-,”

“Not buts.”

“Fine.” Jongin, Sehun and Jongdae sighed in defeat before Minseok let go of Sehun’s and Jongdae’s collars.

“Let’s eat!” Chaeyoung called from the dining room and soon, everyone found their way towards where the food is.

“Jongin, before you go down, can you call Chanyeol and Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo called from beside Minseok, looking up at Jongin.

“I think they’re in Baekhyun’s room.” Minseok said, earning a raise of a brow from Kyungsoo. “Instinct.” He simply replied with a grin before he walked towards the dining table. The sound of someone knocking on wood and a door opening was heard. Seconds later, Minseok heard three pairs of footsteps from upstairs. A little while after that, Jongin showed up with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, all three of them exclaiming at the amount of food on top of the long table of the dining room. As he predicted, the older two were acting. They were good, too.

Dinner was surprisingly a lively affair. Despite the scolding Sehun and Jongdae – and Jongin – got, they were still, surprisingly, as loud as ever. Kyunghoon and Yoongi weren’t there since the older was out of town for the whole week and the younger of the two was out with his friends. Kun was out back with Doyoung and Jaehyun, discussing private matters involving the company so they missed the food fight that gained more punishment for Sehun, Jongin and Jongdae. Chanyeol and Baekhyun joined the food fight, too. What’s even more surprising for Minseok is that Kyungsoo and Junmyeon let them go. Chaeyoung was let go, too, since she didn’t participate – she just held on to Jisung and prevented him from joining and getting dirty.

“I can’t believe you’ve made this much of a mess in ten minutes.” Minseok glared at Sehun and Jongdae. “Kyungsoo and Junmyeon just went to get more food and I just went to use the bathroom, when we came back, the dining room looked like it was hit by a storm.”

“That was Sehun.” Jongdae laughed, looking at their maknae.

“It was fun, though.” Sehun grinned as he mopped the floor. Jongdae was wiping the walls with his brother, the younger one grumbling as to why he needed to help them when all he did was throw sauce at his brother. _“You drenched the whole floor, Jongin. You even got sauce on the walls.”0_ Kyungsoo had said with a stern voice and Jongin gave in eventually. Minseok was tasked to look after them while Kyungsoo takes care of Jisung and put him to sleep. Junmyeon and the rest of them were washing themselves up to get rid of the food that got stuck on their hair. Yixing even got chocolate in his hair – courtesy of Sehun’s ice cream.

“Seriously, Jongdae, you need to lay down on the fun for a bit. It’s alright, once in a while, but don’t do it too often.” Minseok sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He knew that it was the younger who started the food fight. He _always_ starts the food fights.

“Why should I, though?” Jongdae asked, looking at Minseok over his shoulder. The older male’s temper rose dramatically.

“Because, we still have a mission to focus on. If you don’t get that stick out of your ass, we’re going to die in their hands.” he sneered, his eyes sending a clear message. The younger ones stood still for a second, obviously startled by Minseok’s sudden outburst. Jongdae just stared at him.

“Calm down, after all this, we’re free.” Minseok said, mostly to himself. His temper lowered after breathing in and out. The youngest two started working again, but this time, they were moving a bit slower, as if afraid that Minseok would yell again.

“Will we, though?” Jongin asked, looking at the eldest. “To be honest, it’s not a guarantee that we will be free after everything.” He said, voice low and doubting.

“We will, I know it.” their eldest said sternly. “We just have to do what we-,”

A ring suddenly cut through the air.

“What does he want, now?” Minseok seethed as he reached for his phone in his breast pocket. The ringing continually sounded through the room, gaining the attention of the three younger males.

“Stay here and continue cleaning. I better not see anyone of you gone when I come back.” Minseok warned before he strode towards the backdoor of the house, swiping on his phone to answer the call as he pushed the door open.

“What?” he asked sharply, not even greeting the caller. He flinched when he saw Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun at the backyard, all three of them stopping in their conversation to look at him when he exited the house through the backdoor.

“Hi. Don’t mind me.” Minseok awkwardly said, lowering his phone for a bit. He just smiled at three before walking past the them and rushing into the forest, away from prying eyes and ears.

“Couldn’t this wait until tomorrow?” Minseok hissed at his phone when he was finally out of anyone’s earshot and vision. Junmyeon would kill him if she saw or heard that he was in the forest again when she specifically said that he’s not supposed to do that anymore literally only two hours ago.

 _“No, it can’t.”_ the voice on the other side said. The sound of papers rumpling and being tossed around was heard. _“I need your help.”_

“Now you want my help? After you hung up on me earlier, I don’t think I’m going to help you with anything anytime soon.” Minseok said smugly, smirking at the bright, starry sky. “Plus, I-,”

_“This is serious, Min!”_

The tone on the voice startled Minseok for a bit, causing him to go silent for seconds. When he finally got his composure fixed, he spoke again.

“What happened?” he asked, placing a hand on his hip.

“ _He failed.”_ The voice replied. Minseok took a sharp intake of breath.

“He… failed?” he repeated, fear in his voice.

_“Yes, and I need someone to numb him before he explodes. You know what happens when he does.”_

“Did he, at least, calm down?” Minseok asked, brows knotting together as he sneered at the leaf-covered ground.

 _“He did. I got him to sleep. What I gave him will last only for two to three weeks, but it’s only a matter of time before his head heats up again when he wakes up. When he does, we have a couple of weeks before he tries again. If he fails again, I might need help. He was so angry two hours ago. That’s why I immediately hung up.”_ the voice said. _“What do you suggest we do?”_

“Why are you asking me? You’ve literally been with him ever since the two of you were in diapers! What do think would calm him down?” Minseok replied, his voice rising and his pitch going higher and louder.

 _“Exactly my point! He’s never been this angry before! I’m all out of options, Min. That’s why I’m calling you. It’s not like I can as from anyone else.”_ The voice said, exasperated.

“How should I know?! What do think can I do?!”

_“I don’t know!”_

Silence enveloped the two of them after the other’s explosion. Minseok held his phone away from his ear to protect his ear drums. A second later, the voice went back again, this time, it was significantly calmer.

 _“Alright, I just thought of something, but you’re probably not going to like it.”_ He said, breathing in and out. _“Just in case, we have three months.”_

“I’m all ears, hyung.” Minseok replied, placing his phone back next to his ear. “Because, frankly, I don’t want my head to explode the next time I see him.”

_“You better, because I’m only going to go through this once.”_

Roughly thirty minutes later, Minseok found himself seething as he walked back to the house. Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun were gone from their spot when he got back, not that he was looking, anyway. When he got back to the kitchen, Jongin, Sehun and Jongdae were already wrapping up and tying up the garbage bag they used to store what they wasted. They looked at him when he entered the kitchen in a seething mess, glaring at literally anything and everything.

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae asked, pulling on the knot of the garbage bag he was holding.

“Don’t talk to me.” Minseok snapped, sneering at the three in the room. Jongdae didn’t seem to be bothered by him at all, but the two maknaes were occasionally stealing nervous glances from him. “I’m just here to make sure you did your job right.” Minseok said, ignoring everyone.

“Whoa, what’s gotten your pants in a twist?” Jongdae playfully asked but Minseok was angry. The older decided not to not answer and say anything about it because he knew that he would only get angrier. Instead, he just glared at the younger male.

“Just throw the trash, brat.” He just said, taking a glass from the cupboard and filling it to the brim with water.

“Alright, alright, mister grumpy-pants.” Jongdae teased. “I’ll throw this out back. The two of you wash up.” Jongdae said to Sehun and Jongin before he disappeared with the black garbage bag.

“Last one on the top of the stairs get to shower last?” Minseok heard Sehun propose to Jongin as the older drank his water. Seconds later, the two of them were gone, several thuds followed after them. In the distance, Minseok heard someone – probably Junmyeon – scolding someone – probably the two maknaes that ran up the stairs.

Minseok gulped his drink in seconds, placing his glass on the counter. He sighed, calming himself down. He breathed in and out, relaxing his mind. A minute later, he totally calmed down.

“I hate everything.” He whispered, filling his glass once again.

“You’re starting to sound like Kyungsoo.” Jongdae appeared from nowhere again. Thankfully, Minseok didn’t get startled and embarrass himself.

“Oh, yeah? Well, I understand what she feels when she wants to shut you up.” Minseok said as he looked at the younger male behind him with his sharp eyes.

“Shut up. Kyungsoo loves me.” Jongdae said with a smirk.

There was silence between them for a bit before Jongdae spoke again.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”

“I didn’t say anything, brat.”

“Forgive me for asking, but was that for us, or……...”

“I said, I didn’t say anything, so shut your mouth.”

It was silent again.

“Alright, then. Anyways, who called?”

“Huh?” Minseok asked, taking a gulp of his water. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over all the high pitched whines.”

“Why you-,”

“There it goes again! Can’t you hear it?”

“Fine!” Jongdae huffed, making Minseok smirk smugly. The younger frowned at him for a bit before he smirked. “You looked so angry when you came back, which, I might add, is a stark contrast to your character.” The younger said with a finger up, moving it slightly from side to side.

“That’s none of your business.” Minseok just replied, drinking the rest of his water before washing his cup and putting it back on the cupboard. “I’m going to bed.” He said, walking past Jongdae and towards the stairs.

“Junmyeon-noona won’t like it when you’re hiding things from her, hyung.”

“Good night, Jongdae.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HhmhmmmmhhhmmmmMMMMmmhmhmhmhhmmmm?????
> 
> NEXT UP: They discuss something. They thought that they were the only ones who realized, but in reality, everyone else did. It was just the first time that someone brought it up.
> 
> "Hyung's kind of off, don't you think?"
> 
> "It's not only him. Literally everyone's out of character."


	39. SEHUN

“Hyung, when are we going to go back?”

“In two weeks, Sehun.”

“That’s kind of…. Long, don’t you think?”

“I know, but we need to deal with it. There’s nothing we can do. We need to wait for everything to settle, anyways.” Chanyeol replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Sehun just nodded, pouting a little.

It’s been a month and a half since they got out of the laboratory and into Kyungsoo’s family home. Sehun was informed that they’ll be going back to their childhood him in Jeju after it was rehabilitated. Since it was burned down, the moment Johnny’s father bought the lot, along with the land around the Tree of Life, he had the house rebuilt from its original blueprints – how he got his hands on those, Sehun doesn’t know – and since no one lived inside even years after it was rebuilt, some of the interior and exterior paintings and utility features deteriorated a bit, making it a bit unlivable. When it was done, all those years ago, no furniture was added since they knew that no one would live inside for a while.

Because of that, Sehun and the others were waiting for another two weeks since they needed to repair anything that’s damaged and also add things that weren’t there when they rebuilt the house. If Sehun was asked, he would say that one month was too much to fix the house. But, then again, it was a fairly large house so he decided not to question it that much.

Sehun sighed, it’s not like he minded waiting another week or two, but they were time bound. Extremely time-bound. Sehun has been having thoughts of punching the man that robbed him of his life, but how could he do that when he doesn’t even know where he is.

He frowned, eventually let the thought go. Instead, he settled for watching the scene in front of him unfold.

Jisung was ready to go back to Daejeon.

It was clear for everyone with eyes that both Jisung and Kyungsoo didn’t want what was currently happening but both of them eventually accepted it. It was bound to happen and Sehun knew that Kyungsoo would revert back to her old self after seeing her son go. Sehun felt bad for Kyungsoo and Jisung. He didn’t know how they were feeling because Sehun doesn’t have a kid, or he doesn’t have any family after Junmyeon and the others.

He and the others were all standing on the patio – Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun were standing at the far back while Kyunghoon, Yoongi and Kyungsoo stood on the stone walkway, a few meters away from them. Johnny wasn’t there for Jisung’s departure since, Sehun overheard from Junmyeon and Kun’s talk from the night before – he didn’t mean to, he was just wondering the halls that night – the young CEO was scheduled for a meeting in Switzerland on that day and he couldn’t cancel it. Really, Sehun doesn’t know why Junmyeon’s becoming secretive around them – she’s been talking and talking to Johnny’s friends more than she’s been talking to the rest of them. Honestly, it bothers Sehun to some degree. Does she not trust them?

Eventually, Sehun shook that thought away from his head, even though he didn’t like it in the slightest.

“We’ll call when we get home, Kyungsoo. Don’t worry.” Jinki, a tall fairly tall and dark haired man, Taeyong’s partner and a doctor – as he introduced himself earlier that day – said with a smile, ruffling Jisung’s hair as the child held on his other hand. Jinki’s car was behind them. Sehun helped load Jisung’s things inside the trunk a little while ago. He wondered how the child would have that many belongings with him considering that he just stayed in the house for roughly only one month and a half.

“Be careful and stay safe in driving, hyung.” Yoongi said with a slight smile. Sehun never thought he would see the younger male smile – he looked like the type to never do so, Sehun thought.

“We will. Now, say bye-bye to mommy and the samcheons and their freinds, Jisungie.” Jinki said, lightly tugging on Jisung’s arm. Jisung stayed silent and even from Sehun’s spot, he could see the worried expression on Jinki’s face.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Jongin asked from behind Sehun, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“I’m not really sure, but see for yourself.” Sehun said as he moved to the side, providing space for Jongin to slip through and stand in front of him.

“I’ll see you again, right, mommy?” Sehun heard Jisung sniff. From his spot, he saw the child’s eyes turn glossy.

“Of course, Jisung.” Kyungsoo said in a soft voice. “I’ll visit you, and eventually, you’ll visit us.”

“But-,” Jisung sniffed again, wiping the tears that fell from his eyes. “Th – the last time I said bye-bye….” He paused, looking at the ground.

“Y –you didn’t come back.”

“Oh, baby, come here.” Kyungsoo said in a soft voice as she kneeled on the ground, opening her arms for Jisung to run into. Sure enough, the child let go of Jinki’s hand to hug his mother.

Sehun resisted the urge to coo at the sight.

“Hey, don’t tell me you’re going to do that to me, too?” Sehun suddenly heard Chanyeol ask his sister. The maknae turned his head to glance at the two siblings behind him, seeing the two of them side by side.

He knew that Chaeyoung was going to leave in another date. Apparently, she discussed it with her brother to schedule it like that. So, she wasn’t leaving with Jisung, unlike what they originally planned. Where she’s going, though, Sehun doesn’t know. No one knows. For some reason, they wouldn’t tell the rest of them where she was going.

“Of course not. I’m not a child anymore, oppa.” Chaeyoung huffed before she lightly punched Chanyeol in the chest.

“Alright.” Chanyeol replied after a hum. Sehun turned his head back to face in front and back at the adorable sight in front of him.

“I will come back, Jisung.” he heard Kyungsoo say. “It took time the last time, but I came back, didn’t I?” Sehun peered to the side to look at Jisung’s reaction. He didn’t see much since Jisung was being blocked by Kyungsoo’s body.

“You’ll come back?” Jisung asked as he detached himself from Kyungsoo.

“Always.” Kyungsoo smiled, wiping Jisung’s tears away with the pads of her thumbs.

“Okay.” Jisung nodded as he smiled brightly. “As long as mommy comes back, I don’t care how long she’ll take.” He said with determination. Sehun heard Junmyeon coo from beside Jongin.

“That’s my baby.” Kyungsoo kissed Jisung’s forehead before she stood, brushing dust off from her knees.

“Let’s go, Jisung?” Jinki asked as he took Jisung’s hand.

“Okay!” The child smiled brightly, his tears no longer there. “Bye-bye, everyone!” he yelled at Sehun and the others.

“Bye!” Chaeyoung and Junmyeon enthusiastically waved back, their hands in the air. Sehun and the others waved slowly with a large smile on their faces, saying goodbye, as well. They all watched Jisung and Jinki board the car with Kyungsoo saying that Jisung should wear his seatbelt. A little while later, the engine started and Jisung’s window was rolled down.

“Bye-bye, Hoonnie-samcheon! Bye-bye Yoonnie-samcheon!” Jisung waved at the two.

“Take care, Jisung.” Kyunghoon waved back with a smile.

“Bye, kiddo.” Yoongi grinned, his eyes turning into slits.

“Bye-bye, mommy!” Jisung enthusiastically waved just as the car was starting to pull out of the driveway.

“Bye, baby.” Kyungsoo waved back her hand in the air. Seconds later, Jinki’s car was nowhere to be seen after in disappeared through the gates of the Min Household. Everyone was quiet for a while, letting the cool wind brush against them.

Sehun sighed in his spot.

“Well, that was exhausting.”

Contrary to what Sehun had predicted, Kyungsoo didn’t return to her previous self. She was less talkative compared to when Jisung was there, yes, but she wasn’t quite like the Kyungsoo they all know. Not in a bad way, of course. But, through Sehun’s close observation, ever since Jisung left, Kyungsoo has been feeling and looking tense often, and she never lets anyone know about it. Once, Sehun asked about it and Kyungsoo brushed him off, saying that she’s fine. Sehun begs to differ.

She mostly keeps to herself, as usual. That wasn’t new to Sehun and the others. The weird thing is, she keeps talking to Jaehyun privately, and from what Sehun observed – kind of like a stalker, Jongin told him once when he caught him staring at Kyungsoo – their talks were always serious. There was a time when Kyungsoo and Jaehyun locked themselves inside the library for hours, and Sehun – who was casually passing by at that time – heard the older yell incoherent words from inside. Junmyeon got so worried that she stayed by Kyungsoo’s bedside the whole night after Kyungsoo and Jaehyun came out of the library. Starting then, Kyungsoo’s actions became more strange.

“I’m telling you, something’s really bothering her.” Sehun said to Jongin one day when they were both out in the balcony of the second floor. The rest of the people residing in the Min Household were out back, enjoying the sunlight since it was raining only the day before. Junmyeon suggested they all needed to be out in the sunlight after a long time being inside closed spaces. Surprisingly, everyone agreed with her. Sehun and Jongin decided to go hang out on the balcony because both of them liked to watch the others.

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked as he sat on the chair behind him, putting his arms on the railings of the balcony and resting his chin on top of it. “Noona looks and seems fine to me.”

“She’s hiding something.” Sehun persistently said, watching Kyungsoo read a book under a tree in the backyard. Yoongi was sitting beside her, dozing off with his head resting on the bark of the tree. Kyunghoon was out on another meeting in his company office.

“And what makes you say that _you’re_ not hiding something?” Jongin hummed tauntingly at Sehun as he raised a brow. “We’re all hiding something, Sehun. Friend or foe, everyone has secrets that they can’t tell anyone.” He huffed, looking up.

“But there’s seriously something wrong with her.” Sehun said as he narrowed his eyes.

“Well, that’s not very nice, Sehun.”

“Oh, shut up.” Sehun sneered at the slightly older male before he turned back to look at the backyard. “The days after Jisung went back, she was fine, but when Chaeyoung left to go to god-knows where, she started to get a little…. I don’t know….”

As said before, no one told anyone where Chaeyoung was going. The only people who knew were Junmyeon, Johnny and his workers and, of course, Chanyeol. Not one of them uttered a single word as to where she was going. She just left randomly, too.

It happened when someone named Ten came to the house with his sister named Lisa. Sehun and the others were beyond confused as to who they were and why they showed up in the middle of the day, saying that they were there to take Chaeyoung with them. Everyone got even more confused when Chaeyoung said she’ll be leaving with Ten and Lisa on the next day. That was less than a week ago. Until now, Sehun still doesn’t know where they went. Chanyeol’s being awfully quiet about it, too. Sehun doesn’t know why.

“she started to get a little…. what?” Jongin raised a brow at him, snapping Sehun out from his thoughts.

“I don’t know…. A little… jittery.” Sehun eventually answered, looking at Kyungsoo. She flipped a page on her book, frowning a little before her eyes widened significantly. She must’ve read something shocking in her book.

“Jittery?” Jongin repeated with a raised brow. “Jittery? You’re afraid because she’s getting jittery?” he asked, his tone turning dumbfounded. “Sehun, I kind of need more than that to actually believe you.” The slightly older male said.

“You should be worried, too, you know.” Sehun said as he looked at Jongin. “You don’t know what it could mean.”

“I’ll tell you this, Sehun.” Jongin sighed, fixing his posture as he stood. “She’s fine. We don’t need to worry about her. She’s always been like that, ever since we were kids, she’s always kept to herself and she never gets into trouble.”

“She’s also always calling someone, too! She’s turning more and more into Minseok-hyung.” Sehun reasoned, trying his best to convince the man beside him. “Once, I followed her around and I saw her texting someone.”

“There goes your stalker again, Hun.”

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m explaining.” Sehun huffed, glaring at Jongin. “Anyways, a while after she texted someone, a call came her way and she went out. I followed behind her, but I couldn’t hear their conversation. I think it has something to do with her remembering something.”

“Remembering something?” Jongin raised a brow, his expression changing slightly. “Sehun, that could mean a lot of things.”

“Exactly!” Sehun exclaimed. Jongin sighed, shaking his head.

“That’s not what I meant, though.” He said before frowning. “But, yeah. I guess you’re right, at some degree, at least.” He continued as he looked at Kyungsoo as well. “It’s a bit intriguing, if you ask me.”

“Yeah.” Sehun nodded. “It’s not only her, too.” he said, pointing at the two people in the backyard that were not acting how they should be. “Baekhyun-hyung and Chanyeol-hyung, something happened to those two and I want to know what.”

“I know what you mean. They’ve been distancing themselves from each other. That’s not what they were supposed to do.” Jongin said with a quiet voice, his tone suddenly serious. “They’re not the only ones acting out of character, too.”

“Who else?” Sehun asked, looking at the man beside him.

“Our oldest.” Jongin cocked his head towards Minseok, who was sitting beside Junmyeon on the bench inside the gazebo. Yixing was also there beside their leader, dozing off with is head resting on his arms over the table. “His calls are getting more and more frequent. His demeanor shatters with each time that he comes back from a call.” Jongin said.

“Oh, that’s what you meant.” Sehun said before he nodded. “I noticed that, too. At this point, Junmyeon-noona might figure out that something isn’t right about how he’s acting.”

Jongin sighed. “The only ones acting normal here are us, Yixing-hyung, Junmyeon-noona and our lightning rod over there.” He said, gesturing at Jongdae.

“He’ll electrocute you if he heard you say that.” Sehun said with a raised brow.

“I’m his brother, he can’t hurt me.”

“He might, though.”

“I’ll tell him that you’re the one who said it and that you’re putting the blame on me.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

Jongin chuckled before he turned to look at the backyard. “It’s not like he can do that, anyways.” he said with a huff. “We don’t have our powers, remember? Plus, were under constant watch.” He cocked his head towards Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun, all three of them talking to each other in the corner of the backyard.

“You’re right.” Sehun hummed, watching the three intently with keen eyes.

Silence loomed over the two of them as they both watched everyone with small eyes.

Truthfully, Sehun doesn’t know why they needed to be watched over. Junmyeon clarified that the three weren’t there for surveillance, they were there for protection since there are civilians around them – pertaining to Kyunghoon and Yoongi – and since they didn’t have their powers, they have nothing to protect themselves with. Sehun thought it was unnecessary because one, they don’t know what Jaehyun does – for all they know, Jaehyun might cause their fall (but Sehun tries his best not to think about it) – and two, it’s not like they were going to get attacked anytime soon. If the _Red force_ planned to kill them, they would’ve done so by the first week of their escape. Sehun knows this because that’s what the _Red Force_ does.

“Hey.” Jongin suddenly called, making Sehun look at him with a questioning brow.

“What?” he asked, looking at the man beside him.

“Don’t you think Jaehyun looks like someone?”

“Huh?” Sehun’s brows furrowed together at the center of his forehead. He looked at Jongin like he said something that offended Sehun in a major degree. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Look at him, Sehun.” Jongin replied sternly, his face unreadable as he gestured at Jaehyun. “Look closely. Don’t you think he resembles someone we know?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be seeing, here.” Sehun replied after doing what Jongin told him to do. Jongin let out a defeated sigh.

“Of course, this isn’t something I should be asking you about.” Jongin shook his head, disappointment dripping from his voice.

“Hey!” Sehun yelled, offended. “Just tell me who you’re talking about and I’ll get it.”

“Fine. Don’t talk back to me when you don’t see the similarities at all.” Jongin glared slightly before looking back on the backyard. “Look at Jaehyun and Junmyeon-noona. Ignore the fact that noona is a girl.”

Sehun looked at the ground, constantly shifting his gaze between Junmyeon and Jaehyun. He continued to look at them intently for three minutes before he finally saw what Jongin was talking about.

“You’re right!” he gasped, still looking at the two of them. “They have the same facial features!”

“Wow, nice to know you finally got it right after three minutes of looking at the exact same thing.” Jongin said as he rolled his eyes at Sehun.

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Sehun whined a bit.

“You’re starting to sound like my brother.”

“That’s not my fault, too.”

“How is that not your fault?”

“It’s just not!”

“Alright, fine.” Jongin sighed. “So, do you finally see the striking similarity between the two of them?”

“What’s this talk about same facial features and striking similarities?”

At the sound of the new voice, Jongin and Sehun looked behind them and saw Baekhyun walking up to them with his arms crossed over his chest. Sehun frowned. He didn’t even realize that Baekhyun wasn’t in the backyard anymore because he was too busy looking in between Junmyeon and Jaehyun.

“Who looks like who?” the older asked, raising a brow at them as he walked closer.

“Jaehyun and Junmyeon-noona.” Sehun answered, pointing at the two in the backyard. “This guy pointed out that they look the same.” He said, jabbing his finger at Jongin’s bicep. The slightly older male hissed at him before he huffed at Sehun.

“Let me see.” Baekhyun said as he stationed himself in between Sehun and Jongin. After a few seconds, his brows furrowed together. “You’re right.” He said in a whisper, still looking down with his eyes narrowed.

“He looks like somebody else.” The older whispered so lowly that Sehun almost didn’t catch what he said.

“What was that?” Jongin asked, looking like he didn’t hear what Baekhyun just said.

“Nothing.” Baekhyun dismissed as he sighed, backing up. “I see what you mean.” He said, suddenly turning around and walking back inside the house.

“Where are you going?” Sehun asked, looking at the retreating form of the older male. “You do know that you just got here, right?”

“I’m getting a headache. I’m going to sleep. That’s the reason I went up in the first place.” Baekhyun called over his shoulder before he disappeared completely after turning the corner towards the hallway to his room.

“Yep, there’s something wrong with him.” Sehun concluded, looking at Jongin.

A second later, while Sehun and Jongin were still looking behind them, Chanyeol came into their visions.

“What are you guys looking at?” the taller asked, raising a brow at them.

“Baekhyun-hyung was just here. He just left.” Jongin explained. “Why are you here?”

“I’m going to bed.” The taller replied.

“That’s what Baekhyun-hyung said.” Sehun frowned. “What’s going on with you two?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“It’s nothing.” Chanyeol clearly said with his stern voice. Sehun shivered at the lowness. “It’s just a small dispute over orders.” He continued. “We’ll be back by tomorrow or the next day, probably. We just need to cool our heads.”

“You better.” Jongin replied. “You should watch your temper, hyung. Your hair’s constantly fiery red, do you know that? I think Kyungsoo-noona notices it. She’s been constantly staring at you for days. It’s getting a little bit unnerving when she looks at you.”

“I know.” Chanyeol sighed. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Baekhyun and I are fine.” He said, pocketing his hands in his jacket pockets. “At least, you don’t need to worry about me.” he said, closing his eyes.

“I hope we don’t.” Sehun said, leaning back against the railing behind him. “You’re one less problem to worry about.” He muttered to himself.

“Well, I’m going to sleep. If anyone asks for me, I’m just in my room.” Chanyeol said before turning on his heels and disappeared on the same path Baekhyun took only a minute ago.

There was silence for a bit.

“They’re going to get us all killed if they keep acting like that.” Jongin hissed, glaring at the general direction where Baekhyun and Chanyeol went to. “So much for teamwork.” He grumbled.

“Wow, that’s a little out of character from you, too.” Sehun commented with a smirk. Jongin cleared his throat, breathing in and out heavily right after.

“Sorry. I’m just frustrated.” He said, sitting down on the balcony chair next to him.

“Aren’t we all?”

“Good point.”

The next day, Sehun woke up to an empty room, as always. Since the kids aren’t there anymore, they all got their own rooms to themselves now. Sehun looked around at the spacious bedroom, as he always did when he woke up, and sighed. He wasn’t surprised when he saw that nothing changed. Usually, Junmyeon would wake them all up, but there were instances when Sehun would wake up earlier than their leader.

He slightly grumbled, sitting up from his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He yawed once before he threw off his covers and placing both his feet on the ground. Sehun stood up after seconds of idleness, just sitting on the edge of his bed. He slowly made his way towards the door and the moment he opened the tall wooden slab, he saw Baekhyun walking down the hallway towards the stairs. The older stopped and smiled at him when he passed by before he continued to walk towards the stairs, humming a tune to himself. Sehun raised a brow at Baekhyun’ actions, confused at how the older was acting. He was just in a bad mood yesterday and all of a sudden, he was back the next day. He watched Baekhyun disappear down the stairs before Sehun even blinked.

“Good morning, Sehun.” Chanyeol greeted when the older opened his bedroom door – his room was right in front of Sehun’s own. “Are you going down for breakfast?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah.” Sehun nodded as he stared. “This is the first time you woke up before Junmyeon-noona.”

“I know.” Chanyeol replied. “But I couldn’t sleep, so I just stayed up all night. Don’t tell noona about that, alright?” Chanyeol placed a finger over his own lips as a sign to be quiet. “You know that it will save both of us time.” He said before he walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him. He walked down the path Baekhyun walked only seconds before and soon, he also disappeared down the stairs. Sehun was left in silence in the hallway, staring at the carpeted floor towards the stairs.

“Did you just see what I saw?” Jongin suddenly came from behind him. Sehun was still holding the knob to his bedroom door when Jongin stood next to him, still in his pajamas, his dark hair disheveled and his eyes looking as equally confused as Sehun’s own.

“Those two need a serious character check.” Jongin grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

“I have no idea what I just saw, but I’m sure as hell it wasn’t anything good.” Sehun breathed, still looking at the direction the older two went to.

“The whole situation we’re in is starting to get totally messed up.”

“Tell me about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hwehwehwehwe bet you didn't see that coming.
> 
> NEXT UP: They're finally moving. He gets them back together, determined not to lose anybody else. It's finally the end for their bad days and the start of the time that they begin fighting back.


	40. YIXING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready~~~

“We’ll be leaving in an hour, everyone.” Junmyeon called out from the living room on the first floor, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice louder.

“Do you think they heard that?” she asked as she turned to Yixing, who was taping up a box full of clothes. Since Johnny wasn’t going to be there when they move out, he had taken them all out the day before to get all the things they needed. Chanyeol and Junmyeon insisted that they could pay with their own money but Johnny was just as insistent as the two of them so they all ended up paying for half of what they bought and Johnny took care of the other half. Now, they had all the things they needed for their move to Jeju. Yixing thought it was unnecessary but he didn’t know how to say it. He was just too nice.

“I’m not sure.” Yixing answered as he stood, holding the box in his arms before walking towards the patio, where all of the other boxes filled with things were placed. “I’ll go up and tell them.” He said, smiling at Junmyeon when he came back.

“Alright, then.” Junmyeon smiled back at him before she disappeared to go to the dining area.

“Hyung, can you come up here and help me?” Baekhyun suddenly called from upstairs. Yixing looked up and saw the younger slightly leaning over the railing to look at him. He could see his counterpart holding up two enormous boxes stacked on top of each other in his hands.

“I’ll be right up, Baekhyun-ah.” Yixing called back. “Back up a little so you won’t fall over the rail and watch where you’re standing so you won’t fall down the stairs.” He warned, walking towards the foot of the stairs and stepping up. When he got to the second floor, he saw Baekhyun standing a bit far away from the landing.

“You’re starting to sound like Junmyeon-noona.” Baekhyun laughed as Yixing took one of the boxes in his hands.

“I always sound like his.” Yixing smiled, proceeding to go down the stairs.

He was happy that Baekhyun was finally back to normal. Two weeks ago, the younger refused to talk to anyone and he was mostly keeping to himself – very unlike the Baekhyun they all grew up with. Yixing figured that it has something to do with Chanyeol’s change of mood and personality, as well, since the two of them were clearly avoiding each other. There was a time when Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol and Chanyeol glared back at him, just as hard. The two of them sat down on opposite couches that day, no one wanting to back out from their staring contest. It took Kyungsoo standing in the middle of their nonverbal fight for both of them to stop and go up to their respective bedrooms. They haven’t spoken to each other in days until that time they magically reconciled and everything was back to normal again. Yixing felt so relieved at that time since he was so afraid that their group might start crumbling because of their fight.

The fight that, until now, no one knows what was it about.

“Thanks, hyung.” Baekhyun smiled brightly when they placed the two boxes down the patio.

“Don’t mention it.” Yixing smiled, turning to face his counterpart. “I heard Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun are cooking something in the kitchen. Something for the long drive and flight, you know.” said said, gesturing to the kitchen. “You want to see if you can sneak out something before they notice?” he whispered before he winked at his counterpart.

“You bet! You’re the best, hyung!” Baekhyun energetically said and ran towards the kitchen. Yixing watched the younger lurk around the kitchen window for a while, watching the three that were inside. Yixing chuckled before he went up the stairs again to let the others know that they have less than an hour left.

“Sehun, Jongin?” he called when he peered inside Sehun’s room, seeing all the small boxes that were idle in the hallway.

“Yes, hyung?” Sehun popped his head from behind the bed. Seconds later, Jongin’s head popped up next to him.

“What are you two doing over there?” Yixing asked, stepping inside of the room, looking around in awe at how clean and neat the room was – which was saying something because when Sehun and Jongin are together, whatever room they were in usually ends up getting messy after ten minutes.

“Sehun found an old coin inside the pocket of his shirt from the things _they_ took two years ago, but he dropped it and we’re looking for it.” Jongin explained, lightly flicking Sehun’s forehead.

“Ouch!” Sehun whined, clearly exaggerating. Yixing chuckled at the sight.

Kun was out three days before their move and he told Yixing that he was going to Sangju to look at the laboratory once again. When he came back the next day, he had a bunch of boxes at the back of his car and called everyone to meet him at the front of the house. When they got there, they were shocked to see that everything they had with them when they were captured in that warehouse were all inside the boxes Kun had brought back. The younger said they were inside a hidden room in the corner of the laboratory. Well, it wasn’t like anything was useful in that pile of clothes, anyway.

“Well, I hope you find it.” Yixing chuckled before he turned on his heels and went out of the maknae’s room and into the hallway.

“Chanyeol, time to take a shower. We’re leaving in under an hour.” Yixing said as he popped his head inside Chanyeol’s room. He raised a brow when he didn’t see the taller male inside.

“Chanyeol?” he called, silently stepping inside. “Chanyeol-ah?”

“Chanyeol just entered the bathroom, gege.” Jongdae suddenly came up from behind Yixing, startling him a bit.

“Oh, okay, then.” He smiled when he turned around to look at the younger male. “You should shower, too, Jongdae. I think the second bathroom on the other end of the hallway is unoccupied.” He said.

“Alright, hyung!” Jongdae cheerily replied, walking towards the other direction of the hallway.

“Well, that just leaves Min-ge.” Yixing whispered to himself as he walked towards the room at very end of the hallway. He slowly walked, his pace slowing and slowing until he reached the older male’s bedroom door. From the distance, there was a clear and audible cheer from Sehun’s room. Yixing thought the two maknaes finally found the coin they were looking for. He sighed before he turned to look at the wooden slab in front of him. He contemplated on just opening the door without knocking but he figured that Minseok would get angry if he did that so he raised his hand to knock.

But he stopped when he heard Minseok talking from inside his room.

Yixing’s browed furrowed. He knows Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun were downstairs with Junmyeon and Baekhyun. Jongdae and Chanyeol were taking a shower on the two bathrooms in the same floor. Sehun and Jongin were inside the younger’s room. Kyungsoo was talking with Yoongi and Kyunghoon on the porch, the last time Yixing checked.

So who was talking to Minseok?

Yixing is sure that he’s not the only one noticing Minseok’s change of behavior. It started when they got back from the laboratory. Sure, even before they were captured, the older was getting phone calls so frequently that he needed to be out of the house at least twice a week, but he always returns to the house with a smile. Now, he was getting twice as much calls than usual and each time he comes back from one call, he had a sour look on his face. One time, he even came back looking like he was about to murder someone. Junmyeon asked about it when he stepped inside the living room, and Minseok snapped at her.

Yes, Minseok snapped at Junmyeon.

_He got angry and yelled at Junmyeon._

Minseok never, _never_ gets angry at Junmyeon.

It didn’t help that he yelled at her in front of literally everybody inside the house.

Since that day, both Minseok and Junmyeon were never seen staying together in the same room ever again. The tension between them was felt throughout the whole house even if neither of the two were even inside the building. They still talk to each other, yes, but only when it was necessary. The intimacy that Yixing has observed over the years have disappeared, as if it wasn’t there in the first place. Honestly, it concerned Yixing.

He contemplates on telling the older to patch things up with Junmyeon, but then, it’s really not his business to tell him so. He doesn’t want to get scolded by the older for telling him what to do, and he didn’t want Junmyeon to be mad at him for meddling with their business.

But, in the end, he decides to do it anyways.

He doesn’t want their team to collapse.

Not when he can still do something about it.

He wasn’t going to let himself make the same mistake twice.

“Hyung?” he called as he softly knocked on the older male’s door.

“Hold on.” He heard the older reply from the other side of the door. He was whispering something to the person he was talking to and a few seconds later, Minseok finally opened the door.

“What is it?” he asked, pocketing his phone. Yixing was right; Minseok was talking to someone over the phone again.

“Jun said that we’ll be leaving soon.” Yixing replied, looking at the slightly shorter male’s hair. It was wet, indicating that he was one step ahead of Yixing. He was dressed up in this outside clothes, too, which was a good thing since he wants to ask the older if he could patch things up with Junmyeon while they’re still there. If they leave without them doing so, they might not get another chance.

“Alright.” Minseok nodded, his sharp eyes looking at Yixing’s soft ones. “I’ve already packed. I just have to bring it down.” He said, gesturing at the bags and small boxes by the foot of his bed.

“Okay.” Yixing nodded before he took a breath.

“Hyung.” He called, just before the older turned around, probably to get his stuff.

“Hmm?” Minseok hummed. He seemed to be in a good mood. Yixing has to pat himself on the back for being so lucky with his timing.

Well, here goes nothing.

“Please make up with Junmyeon.”

Yixing breathed out, looking straight into Minseok’s brown eyes. They never seemed so sharp before. He wonders when did it start to look like Minseok was about to murder somebody in cold blood. At first, he was afraid when he met Minseok’s gaze, but despite his eyes being so sharp, Minseok looked calm. He even gave Yixing a small smile.

“Alright, then.” The older sighed. “I was wondering when will someone tell me that. I did predict that it was going to be you who’s going to ask me.” he said with a chuckle. “I guess it’s about time, too.”

“Why didn’t you go to her and apologized on that day, gege?” Yixing asked before he could stop himself. “I mean; it’s not like you to get angry at anybody. Well, except for Baekhyun. You’re always angry at him. But never at Jun. This is the first time.”

“I know. Frustration took over.” Minseok sighed heavily, collapsing on his bed, rumpling the smooth sheets. Yixing went inside the older male’s room and quietly shut the door behind him.

“To tell you the truth, I was supposed to apologize as soon as I realized what I did.” Their eldest said, staring up the ceiling. “But when I saw that look on her face…. I just couldn’t…. I couldn’t say anything.” He added, his voice softening.

“She looked like a kicked rabbit.”

“She didn’t talk to anybody for two days. She even ignored Kyungsoo and Sehun. Which is something because she never ignores Sehun and Kyungsoo.” Yixing said pocketing his hands in his pants pockets.

Minseok hummed as he reached for his phone from his back pocket. He held it in front of him, looking at the screen. “I just wish I could make this guy stop calling me.” he grumbled, clutching the device in his hand. “I know what he’s going to say, anyways. He said the same thing to him. He’s so impatient, but I guess he has all the right to be.” he whispered. Yixing barely caught it.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.” Minseok said before he sat upright, pocketing is phone once again. He looked at Yixing in the eyes.

“Can you call Junmyeon for me?” he asked. “And can you get those down?” he gestured at his packed things at the foot of the bed.

Yixing smiled as he nodded. “Will do.” He saluted before taking Minseok’s things and opening the door behind him, only to close it again when he stepped out into the hallway. He sighed, giving himself an imaginary pat in the back for a job well done. All he needs to do now is to get to Junmyeon. She must be downstairs with Kyungsoo, or even Kyungsoo’s brothers.

He slowly walked down the stairs, humming a tune to himself. As he predicted, he found Junmyeon helping out with Kyunghoon and Yoongi in loading all their things inside the three cars they were going to ride to the airport in Incheon. Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun would be driving them. Johnny would meet up with them in Jeju the next day to check up on them since he had business in Gwangju on that day.

“Junmyeon-ah.” Yixing called as he walked down the steps of the patio. Their leader turned around, smiling brightly when she saw him.

“Xing, hey.” She greeted, loading another box inside one of the cars. “Did you call all of them?”

“Yep. They’re all getting ready.” Yixing answered, placing Minseok’s things down next to the others’. “Oh, and gege wanted to talk to you.”

Junmyeon raised a brow at him. by the looks of it, she didn’t expect him to say what he just did. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked, tilting her head.

“I said, Min-ge wants to talk to you.” Yixing smiled as he lightly pushed Junmyeon towards the house. “He’s waiting in his room.”

“Is this why you took your time calling everybody else?” Junmyeon raised an accusing brow at Yixing over her shoulder. Yixing didn’t answer, instead, he continued pushing Junmyeon back inside the house.

“You’ll thank me later.” He said and gave one last push strong enough for Junmyeon to grab the support handles at the foot of the stairs.

“You better not be messing with me, Xing.” Junmyeon narrowed her eyes at him before she stepped up the stairs. “I’m coming for your head if something happens.”

“Oh, something’s going to happen, alright.” Yixing said with an innocent smile. Junmyeon gave one last glare before she disappeared up the stairs.

“Are they finally going to talk?” Kyungsoo suddenly came up from behind Yixing. Unlike with Jongdae earlier, Yixing didn’t flinch at Kyungsoo’s presence – he was already used to her popping out from nowhere. The younger stood beside him, her hair noticeably wet and smelling like lavender.

“I got Min-ge out of his shell.” Yixing replied, looking at the time from the clock at the wall beside the stairs. “Well, they’ve got a little over half an hour to talk.”

“They can take as long as they want. It’s not like we’re going to miss our flight, anyways.” Kyungsoo said, crossing his arms over her chest. “We’re doing the same thing we did when we got back here from Denver.”

“You mean with a private plane and Kun’s ability?” Yixing asked, looking at the younger.

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo replied with a nod. “He’s piloting the plane, too.”

“Kun is a pilot?” Yixing asked, his expression turning dumbfounded.

“Yes. It’s his first profession. Actually, I wouldn’t say it like it was his professional job, but yeah, it’s close enough.” Kyungsoo said with a shrug before continuing. “That was when he was still young, like very young. After meeting and starting to work for Johnny, he became a computer technician and a hacker. Well, it was because of his ability, though. It didn’t take that much time to learn everything. Especially for him.” she said, looking up at Yixing.

“But, isn’t he only twenty-two years old?” Yixing glanced at the man in question. Kun was talking with Kyunghoon on the patio, too far away to actually hear them.

“Remember, he works for Johnny. He met him when he was seventeen and Johnny was eighteen. Everything’s possible with Johnny. Believe it or not, everything’s possible around Kun, too.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Plus, Kun’s father is a retired air force commander. They’ve even got their own land, training field and facility. Even an airbase, too. It’s all in China. Kun didn’t need a school to teach him everything he needs to know. He’s got his father and his ability.” She explained.

“Wow.” Yixing gaped. “It’s hard to think that he’s younger than all of us.”

“Yeah, the kids look up to him a lot, too.” Kyungsoo smiled, looking at Kun. “He’s one of the rarest gems out there.”

“I agree.” Yixing nodded, glancing at the younger.

“Well, all we have to do now is wait.” He huffed, plopping down on the cozy couch.

Ten minutes after Kyungsoo and Yixing settled down on the couch, the others started filing out of their rooms. Another ten minutes later, Kyunghoon called them over outside, telling them that they were about to leave. They settled down on their respective seats inside the three cars outside. Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Jongdae were inside the one Jaehyun was driving. Yixing, Jongin and Sehun were inside the one Doyoung was driving. Lastly, Kyungsoo settled in the shotgun seat of the one Kun was driving. All they’re missing were their two oldest members.

“Those two are sure taking their time.” Sehun said from the back of the car.

“Leave them be. At least they’re going to patch things up before we leave.” Yixing said with a smile.

“Yeah, Sehun.” Jongin nodded. “I’d rather not have any tension radiating from those two while we’re stuck inside of a plane.”

“Oh, here they come.” Doyoung said from the driver’s seat. On cue, the two oldest were walking down the patio steps and into the walkway, side by side. Both of them were still talking to each other, a smile on both of their faces.

“Glad to see that they’re back.” Doyoung commented.

“Yeah.” Yixing nodded as he watched the two of them bow in front of Kyunghoon and Yoongi. A little while after a small chat, Minseok went over to Jaehyun’s car as Junmyeon went over to Doyoung’s.

“Thanks, Xing.” Was the first thing Junmyeon said when she went up to them.

“Don’t mention it.” he just smiled.

“Are you all complete here?” Junmyeon asked, looking at the back. “Doyoung’s here. Xing’s here.” She whispered to herself.

“Yep, I’m here!” Jongin raised his hand.

“I’m here but my soul is gone.” Sehun said as he raised his hand as well.

“Alright, Sehun. I hope you find it when we get home.” Junmyeon chuckled before she stepped back.

“See you all in six hours.” She said an she was gone.

“Bye, everyone.” Kyunghoon called from the walkway of the Min Household. He waved at them and from the corner of Yixing’s eyes, he saw the others waving back.

“Bye.” Yoongi waved, too, smiling much like Kyunghoon.

“Thank you for everything.” Yixing heard Junmyeon say from the car behind them.

“Come back if you need anything.” Kyunghoon replied.

“And Mi, call when you can.” Yoongi added, looking at Kyungsoo.

“Will do.” Yixing saw Kyungsoo wave a little from the side view mirror.

In front of them, Jaehyun’s car started to move and seconds later, Doyoung started, too. Kun’s car followed right after them and only seconds after they all moved, the Min Household, the house they lived in for a month and a half, was already far behind their backs.

Surprisingly, only two hours in the drive, Jongin and Sehun were already asleep in the backseat. It was weird not hearing a single peep from them. The three cars were still in line and Junmyeon has been texting Yixing and Jongdae for updates on everyone on their group chat. It was also a surprise when Jongdae told them that Baekhyun and Chanyeol were asleep, as well. He even sent them a picture of their faces. The two of them were quietly napping with their heads against the windows of the back of Jaehyun’s car. Yixing chuckled, looking at the photo in his phone.

There was comfortable silence inside Doyoung’s car until the younger decided to break it.

“I don’t get why the others are so calm about this.” he suddenly said from the driver’s seat. His eyes were still on the road, his grip firm on the steering wheel.

“To be honest, I don’t, too.” Yixing replied, shutting off his phone and resting it on his lap. “We haven’t seen each other in four years, and when we did, we were captured immediately and was put to sleep for another two years. I don’t see why they aren’t freaking out. If I were just a normal person, I would’ve gone crazy after our whole experience in that laboratory.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, hyung. Sorry if I touch anything sensitive.” Doyoung said after a while of silence. “I know that your powers are gone, but why didn’t they take yours?”

Yixing hummed, looking at the back of Jaehyun’s car. “I don’t know, either.” he said as he looked at his hands. He flexed them for a bit, feeling his ability flow through his veins. “The people who watched me said they couldn’t take mine, for some unknown reason. None of us knows why they can’t take it. I heard that they tried to take Zitao’s own, as well, but just like mine, they couldn’t.”

“So that basically leaves all of the guardians powerless except for you, right?” Doyoung asked, glancing at Yixing.

“Basically, yeah.” Yixing nodded. “It’s not like my ability is for combat, anyway.”

“But it’s really helpful outside battle, so it’s fine.” The younger said softly. “I always said that to Ten when we’re together.”

“He’s the one who’s taking care of Chaeyoung, right?” Yixing asked, looking at the man beside him.

Doyoung nodded. “Yeah, and the two of us are usually the ones at the very back of the fight. Youngho-hyung said it was better that way. Honestly, I think he’s right.”

“It’s the same for me. It’s going to be a challenge to go up front when no one else has their abilities but me.” Yixing nodded, smiling for a bit, suddenly recalling a memory. “Back when we were young, I was only good for healing everyone and caring for the Tree. I studied it, you know, I memorized all the dents and markings on the trunk because I always thought it’s what I was supposed to do.

It was always me and Lu Han who looked after it since the two of us had a connection to it. Junmyeon sometimes tagged along since she sometimes feels what we feel around the Tree. Sometimes, it reacts to her, too, like how it reacts to Lu Han. It’s stronger for her, though, and I didn’t quite get the reason behind it. It seems like she doesn’t know about it, too.” Doyoung hummed in response, silently telling Yixing that he was listening.

“To tell you the truth, all twelve of us never really thought much of our mission. We cared, yes, but we had a hard time trying to accept everything.” Yixing breathed. “The first one to acknowledge what was happening was Lu Han.”

“The psychic, yes.” Doyoung nodded. “That was kind of expected. Though, for me, I expected Junmyeon-noona to be the first to accept everything.” He hummed.

“Yeah, I kind of expected that, too. Lu Han had told us that someone spoke to him when he was sleeping. I know it sounds super cliché, but that’s what he said. He said he was dreaming, but everything felt real. He was facing the Tree when it suddenly spoke to him.”

“The Tree spoke?”

“Yeah, crazy, right?” Yixing chuckled. “We thought he went crazy, too. We thought that the fact that we have powers was finally making him go nuts. Lu Han lifted us all in the air that day, and he didn’t let us touch the ground for three hours because h got angry.” He chuckled again. “When we finally got down, he told us that the Tree said that we shouldn’t neglect our mission because once we let out guard down, _they’ll_ come after us. Literally two days after he had that dream, the house burned down and three days later, we were captured.”

“So you only realized what you were meant to do when everything already went downhill?” Doyoung glanced at him, his expression saddened.

“Yeah. Junmyeon was next to accept everything after that. She also had a hard time acknowledging but when she did, it was already too late. We were already all by ourselves with nothing but our half-baked powers. When the rest of us finally realized that what we were going against with was not just a dream and it wasn’t just a story, we already lost two of our members. Right after that, even with the acceptance, we were too scared to do anything else so we all separated.”

“I’m sorry for having to say this, but don’t you think that that’s kind of a cowardly move, hyung?” Doyoung said, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Yeah, we know. It was Baekhyun who suggested we all leave. He said it was for the best. Being his counterpart, I felt his fear at that time. It was so overwhelming that I’m not even sure if it was Baekhyun’s fear or my own. After a while when Baekhyun suggested the split, we seconded him because we were all scared. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo tried to keep us together, but they eventually agreed on the separation.”

“So that’s why Kyungsoo-noona told us not to look for you.” Doyoung said as he glanced at Yixing. “To be honest, we had everything we needed to find all of you and bring you all back together, but noona just said that you didn’t want to be found and that we’ll just leave everything until time tells when you can meet again.”

Yixing nodded “Yeah. When she gave birth to Jisung, she said that to me. She said that in the letter she sent, too. It’s what we told each other when we left. We said that no one will look for the others just because you feel lonely. Only get in contact when you’re in trouble, like, _big Red Force_ trouble _._ No one tells the other where another is. That’s also why I didn’t tell anyone that I’ve met Kyungsoo when she consulted me about Jisung.” The younger male beside him hummed in response.

“Honestly, after the first few months of our separation, that’s when I finally regretted our decision to separate.”

“I mean, I would’ve, too, if it were me. I may not look like it, but don’t like being separated from Youngho-hyung and Taeyong-noona and the others. Even if we constantly fight with each other.”

“Well, in the end, we were the one who suffered for everything.” Yixing sighed leaning back on his seat.

“This is so messed up and complicated.” Doyoung said lowly after a while of silence.

“Everything, all of this, all of what’s happened and all of what’s going to happen was, is and will always be our fault.” Yixing huffed, finally letting out what he’s been wanting to say for almost a decade, back to when they first found out about their powers. It was not very Yixing-like to say those words but he needed to let it out. Though, he didn’t expect to say it to Doyoung.

“Don’t say that, hyung.” The younger male softly said. Well, maybe saying to Doyoung wasn’t so bad. After all, they do understand their situation.

“Sure, it can’t be helped, but you are the ones who’s going to change everything, too, right?” Doyoung said.

“I guess.” Yixing replied, his tone hesitant. “But,” he sighed.

“Sometimes I hate it.” he continued, looking at the road in front of them. Jaehyun’s car was still there. From the rearview mirror, Yixing saw Kun’s car still following them.

“All of this?” Doyoung asked, glancing at him. “Or all that’s happened?”

“Everything.” Yiixing replied. “I hate that we have no choice.” He huffed, placing his elbow on the small space one the car door. He rested his chin on his hand and continued staring at the endless view outside of the window.

“I hate that this is the only way we can be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the first book in the series.
> 
> What do, you guys, think??
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and place look forward to reading the next book. It will be entitled as "Cover your Ears with your Hands" and will feature the comebacks that were done before the events of OBSESSION, as well as a highlight on NCT members' point of views on what they were doing.
> 
> Because I love you all, here's a tiny spoiler(s) from the next book.
> 
> NEXT UP:
> 
> “Can’t we just be normal for once?!”
> 
> -
> 
> “Have you tried looking into someone’s eyes and saw nothing but fear?  
> “What did you see?  
> “Glowing red eyes stared back at me, and I didn’t know what to do.”
> 
> -
> 
> “They were good people.”
> 
> -
> 
> “I just want to help.”  
> “After all that you’ve done? Fuck no!”
> 
> -
> 
> “We need to get you out of here. It’s not safe for anyone to be inside this place.”
> 
> -
> 
> “You experimented on them! How could you?!”
> 
> -
> 
> “You’re fucking delusional if you think that I would do anything like that.”
> 
> -
> 
> "I promised myself, all those years ago, that I would never let my guard down ever again."  
> "..."  
> "I never realized that I never trusted the right people in the first place.
> 
> -
> 
> “You’re lying! I’m nothing like him! I will never be like him!”
> 
> -
> 
> “Who says that I should follow an unstable person like you, huh?!”  
> “If anyone’s unstable inside this house, it would be you!”
> 
> -
> 
> "So, you're saying that there's nothing we can do?"  
> "I'm sorry, but unless we find them, they will stay as they are. There's nothing we can do about it."
> 
> -
> 
> “Given the circumstances, I think an introduction, as well as an explanation is in order.”
> 
> -
> 
> “Just stop and look around you! Is this really what you want?!”
> 
> -
> 
> “You better not be doing what I think you’re doing.”  
> “What makes you think that I’m doing anything?”
> 
> -
> 
> “Who fucking died and made you leader?!”
> 
> -
> 
> “I’ve been asleep for two years, I’m not going to just sit back and watch.”
> 
> -
> 
> “What the fuck did you just do?!”  
> “Someone has to make sacrifices for what’s right.”
> 
> -
> 
> "Stop pretending, please, I'm begging you."
> 
> -
> 
> “If I told you to pull the trigger on me, would you have done it and smiled, or would you have did so while you cried?”


End file.
